Inside the 'Glasshouse': Embittered wife exposes intimate details of happenings inside the home of Nigeria's ex Foreign Affairs minister

“A hell called marriage in Onwuliri’s home”. Embattled daughter in-law to former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lady Viola Onwuliri has granted a detailed interview based on her experiences from marriage and domestic violence.”

In what she describes as “A Hell Called Marriage In Onwuliri’s Home”, the embattled daughter in-law to former Minister of State for Education and later Foreign Affairs, Lady Viola Onwuliri has granted a detailed interview based on her experiences from marriage and domestic violence. Christina Onwuliri (Nee Amaefula) who is married to the former Minister’s son, Chukwuemeka Osmond Onwuliri explains why her documents were seized, and to what really led to the detachment of her two daughters.

Excerpt:

Most people are wondering why such issue became a public affair. Why?

Some people kept asking why this matter became a public affair. What would I have done when I tried all I could to hide this issue from my dad and close family members? There was nobody around my husband’s place that I didn’t talk to. Some were unable to speak. Some were scared to get into the matter because of his mother. Some were looking out for an opportunity to cause more harm to our marriage. The one that pains me the most was when I took it to our marriage sponsor. I expected a better resolve towards it. At least when disagreement occurs in marriage, one would either try resolving it, or to even talk to a family member that understands. 

But here, I protected it from my family, to an extent that they will call to know what was happening, yet I will pretend to the very high level that nothing happened just to keep my home. When it ran out of hands with abuse after abuse, I went to see our marriage sponsor. He claimed to understand the whole situation, but later, I was disappointed to see him trying to seduce me. He promised to offer anything that will bring happiness to my life only if I will go to bed with him. What happiness? When my home is on fire? When I can’t even enjoy the joy of marriage? I felt highly disappointed and depressed. It was as if nobody was around for me. I could have called my family, but their option may not have been the best then, because the treatment I was getting is a total insult to them, especially to my dad.

When your family later knew of what you were passing through, what did they suggest or do?

When my dad later knew of what happened, he silently called my husband, asking him to secretly dissolve the marriage in Canada since it wasn’t working. And I knew why he told him that. He never wanted our problem to be at the public. He made that suggestion to save the image of my husband’s family, especially the mum who was serving as a Minister then. But, my husband didn’t oblige to it till when we returned to Nigeria. 

What led to your return to Nigeria?

It was in one of the interferences of my mother in-law. She said that my husband is not obliged to keep me in Canada where we based or elsewhere in the world. And after this encounter with her, my husband told me we will be visiting Nigeria in February. I had no misgivings about it.

When we arrived to the family house in Owerri, I noticed the presence of a Catholic priest, Rev. Fr. Jude Onuoha, a serving Honourable member at the Imo State House of Assembly, Hon. Mike Iheanetu and few others that I don’t know their names. Later, I noticed that my husband picked up a bag and was leaving without prior information to me. Cautiously, I approached him to know where he was going, but to my greatest surprise, he violently pushed me into a room and locked me up.

At that point, I saw those men taking my children away without my consent. Then, I started screaming and was helpless but had no option than to start breaking the window panes in the room to get myself out. When they saw I was breaking the glasses, one of the drivers opened the door and I came out shouting for help, and then my children were nowhere to be found.

Chukwuemeka Onwuliri and her bride on their wedding day

What exactly will you say made them to seize your papers?

You know I have dual citizenships. Through marriage, he came to Canada on Immigrant Status basis. They don’t want an immediate termination to all these benefits, and that’s why they are working so hard to paralyze me from taking steps at least till their consultations. I have been used here. I have been humiliated. I have been traumatized. But I kept asking, is he not the same man that promised to love and cherish me as a wife? What went wrong? What did I do to him? Even if every other person fails to understand the challenges we faced as a family, why will his case be different? I have sacrificed everything to keep this marriage, yet, he kept frustrating my efforts with his actions. Is it when I die from domestic violence that I will be appreciated as a wife? 

From the pictures released by your husband, one would be wondering how you went about to cause that number of damages. How true were those pictures?

When I saw them, I got surprised at it all. I wondered how it all happened. But no matter the circumstances, I like being truthful to myself first. One is that I told you I damaged the window pane to get myself out of the house when I got locked up. It’s self-defense. What surprised me most after all that happened were numbers of photos released. I saw areas I didn’t even visit. I saw damages beyond what I placed my hands on. I never did all that. Heaven knows, I didn’t. It was their own buildup to make their claims look real and strong. Besides, how could they have allowed me to cause that number of damage when they were all around? They are out to destroy me and the image of my family. I never did all that.

He even accused you of being mad?

You read it! And we are here now, at least you asked for this very interview probably to hear from me and to observe if I’m mad as he claims. You are now in a better position to read his lines of accusation one after the other, and then refute them yourself based on the true fact you’ve seen. I am not mad. I never suffered from madness. And I will not suffer from one. Remember, this is a man who came and asked for my hand in marriage. Traditionally you know what it is to enquire about somebody you want to marry, and which after being satisfied with it all, you boldly go on to ask for the person’s hand in marriage. He did all that, and we also did ours. We are not here to accuse anybody of anything in the past we saw before going into our marriage agreement. But why are they accusing me and my family wrongly? What is our offence? They took away my little daughters. They took away my traveling documents, passports and academic certificates. What for?

He claims that his late father gave your dad his job as a lecturer. How true is it?

No single truth around it at all. They did nothing. Even when his mum took my credentials to get me a job, what happened? She kept misplacing them. Whether she was saying the truth or not, I can’t tell. But I know she never took anything about me serious because she hated me. I’ve been called to represent my husband at most family meetings, but she will walk me out saying I’m not a member of her family. Or is it the one that concerns my family? The only time she visited my father’s house was during the traditional wedding where she spent just four hours and left. Since then, she has not visited again. We even had issue of who visits our home from my father’s family house. They enlisted names of people they would want to come to the house or not to come. When I questioned that, they said they never wanted my people to finish their money. What money? These were people coming to visit their sister and daughter who left home for marriage.

In Port Harcourt as well, whenever his mum will be visiting us, she will come with her own food in a flask. At a point, he told the son that whenever she will be coming to Port Harcourt and finds out he is not at home that she will not stopover. What did I not pass through? I passed through hell in their hands.

Please, don’t forget, my dad got employed as a lecturer in 2006, and then we’ve not met any member of their family before. Remember, we met around 2011. And till this time, I’m yet to find out how they gave my dad his job. 

When did the attitude of your mother in-law changed towards you?

She never had it comfortable being with me as the son’s wife. I noticed it, even as I stood not to accept the marriage, but then, my husband was so desperate to get me into the family. Even when I confronted him over the mum’s discomfort towards me, he would cover it up with words like I’m getting married to him not his mum. And then, I would wonder what I was coming into the family to do when I can’t see his mother as my own my mother. But something solidified my position of acceptance. His late father did. The late Prof stood against all wrongs in the family that we were all afraid to dare his principles. Well respected man with great values, he gave me all confidence to be a member of his family. But when I went through abuse, depression and rejection, he was nowhere around to stand by me. He was nowhere to consolidate on his words to me and to my family. I think his death caused the biggest damage. 

What further happened after the death of Professor Celestine Onwuliri?

My mother in-law took over everything by becoming a mini-god. She decides who stays and goes. I couldn’t even suggest what my husband could listen to. Even all advises ended up in the mother’s ear. It was as if I had no confider again. At slight issues, he would raise his hands and will beat me like a common criminal. Between 2011 and 2014, while I was living in Port Harcourt with my husband, he physically and mentally abused me. For example, when arguments concerning on way forward in the marriage, he gets infuriated and physically beats me and locks me up in the toilet for as long as he wishes. I will cry and cry, but tears will dry without anyone consoling me.

Do you think your husband cheated on you?

Viola Onwuliri with Goodluck Jonathan

It depends on the type of cheating. If you mean the kind of cheating that involved him with another woman, I wouldn’t know. And I can’t accuse him wrongly. But if it’s based on the fact that he masturbated while in my presence, and even as he moves with some male friends as if they were dating, I think I will agree to it.

Masturbated in your presence?

Of course, he did. It irritated me so much that I didn’t know what to do. I felt a time why he would engage into such. I mean, I’m his wife and he had me around. What stopped him from taking me to bed to catch some relieve of whatsoever? He would just be masturbating, while I will be there crying. Most times he would travel after my mum would have sent sum money for my up-keep and that of the family, but he will disappear with it only to return looking so weak. The truth is that he is a gay. He lied to his mum just to stay overseas, because he knew that’s where he can only stay to indulge in such habits. While in Canada, he was bringing men to our home, even as he would sleep with them on our matrimonial bed.

Why was your mum sending money for the family’s up-keep?

You know my husband lost his job at Schlumberger, and his papers were stamped unemployable. Since then, we have tried getting another job for him but no way. Even his mum who was a Minister could not get him a job. At least to tell you how serious it was.

Why did he slap the French woman?

He said he can’t work under a woman. And at slight times, he would brag of his mum being a Minister. He even said that if the French woman tries misbehaving that the mum will use her contacts against her. When he lost his job, I wondered why his mum couldn’t save the situation again.

I want our marriage dissolved - Prof. Onwuliri's son

Fracas between Chukwue­meka Osmond Elihe On­wuliri, second son of the late Prof. Celestine Onwuliri and Christina Onwuliri, nee Amae­fule, is taking a turn for the worse with the Chukwuemeka ap­proaching an Abuja High Court asking that the almost five years marriage be dissolved.

Onwuliri, through his counsel, Maxwell Opara, is seeking the dissolution on grounds of intol­erable behavior and that the wife failed irretrievably in carrying out her matrimonial duties. He asked the court to grant him custody of their two children (Sophia Adaku and Stephanie Chinomso).

The petition was filed on Feb­ruary 10, under the Matrimonial Causes Act and other relevant Rules of the FCT High Court Rules.

A copy of the petition made available to journalists in Abuja listed 10 grounds upon which Chukwuemeka is asking the court to bring the marriage to an end, including but not limited to threat to his life and that of their chil­dren, smashing of the late Prof. Onwuliri’s building in Owerri, smashing of vehicle windscreen, damage to several personal and house hold property and mak­ing the petitioner to spend over N450,000 in acquiring admis­sions and booking courses abroad which the respondent (Christina) failed to utilize, among several al­legations.

It not however, certain if the re­spondent had received or reacted to the writ, but in claims she earli­er made before the matter became a subject matter for the court, Christina claimed she had been in hell in her four and half years marriage culminating to February 3rd, when hell was let loose and the family of her husband pushed her out to the streets.

Although she had insisted that her husband pushed her out of their home allegedly on the influence of his mother, Prof. Viola Onwuliri, we could not establish the nexus to the claim as there was no tangible evidence to support that.

According to her, “they conspired and took away my two daughters, Sophia and Stephanie; three and two years of age respectively and pushed me to the street after we arrived Nigeria from Canada the previous day”.

She also claimed that her hus­band had made life unbearable for her in Canada before they returned to the country, an allegation her husband has vehemently denied.

Based on what he told The AU­THORITY on Sunday and the writ he filed at the Abuja High Court, Christina had been threatening to kill him and the children, but on the fateful day of February 3rd, “she went berserk, smashing every­thing on sight in my father’s build­ing without provocation, making it seem as if the Boko Haram boys visited the place.

Said Emeka: The problem is that when I got married to her, I didn’t know she had mental and psycho­logical problems, but I am sure her parents knew about all these and hid it from me. Even though I am not supposed to say all these, it was because you asked and told me what she said that I decided to summarise what I have been pass­ing through in her hands.

“All those things she narrated to you happened in my father’s house in Owerri in the presence of every­body. Even the Priest who conduct­ed our wedding (names witheld) and several other people witnessed it. If you look at the house, it looks like where Boko Haram visited; if they tell you it was just one person that did that damage to the build­ing, you will not believe it, but it was this girl. It was very forceful, very vehement damage to the building. All the people that saw what she did swore that I am lucky to still be alive with my children in the hands of this girl: visitors and other people were in shock”.

However, the embattled Chris­tina who hails from Umuhu, Okwuato Community in Aboh Mbaise LGA, Imo State on her part claimed, she was shocked and dumbfounded at what her husband from Amuzi, in Ahiazu Mbaise LGA did to her without recourse to their coming from the same clan. She alleged that though her travails in the ex-minister’s family began soon after her wedding, it aggra­vated with time before the climax on February 3rd, claiming it was because she had not given birth to a baby boy.

Her story: “On 3rd February this year, in the presence of some guests (names withheld), I noticed that my husband picked up a bag and was leaving the house without prior information to me. When I approached my husband to know where he was going to, to my great­est surprise my husband pushed me violently away from him and started to beat me and pushed me into a room and locked me up. While in the room helpless, I saw my husband and the others taking my children away without my consent.

“My husband and his cohorts confiscated all my academic docu­ments such as WAEC certificate, first school leaving certificate, IELTs, Canadian version of my degree cer­tificate, my degree certificate and secondary school transcript. All my travel documents; Ukrainian pass­port, Nigerian passport, Canadian permanent residential card, Cana­dian landing documents, my chil­dren’s American passports, my chil­dren’s permanent resident cards, my children’s Nigerian passport, my children’s Canadian landing documents, my children’s birth and baptismal certificate, my personal belongings such as clothes, shoes, jewellery, mobile phone, laptop and iPad”.

However, narrating his own side of the bitter experiences from his wife, Emeka told The AUTHOR­ITY on Sunday: “You won’t believe that this person that told you all these things (Christina) had drawn a knife at me; this is a wom­an that has thrown a heavy statue of Infant Jesus at me and it broke; this is a woman, I was driving on the highway at top speed, because she got angry about something, she got aggressive, struggled and swerved the steering on the high­way in Canada, we almost all died; this is a woman that has held a knife on my daughters’ neck.

“I never and could never have kidnapped my own Children. Sophia Onwuliri and Stephanie Onwuliri are my children and due to the violent and harmful ac­tions taken by their mum, Chris­tina, who vehemently broke win­dows, electronics, fans, mirrors, and other household property in their presence on the morning of 3rd February 2016 in my Father’s house in Owerri, I had no option but to remove the traumatized children from the scene by noon, took them to lunch and returned in the evening only to be told Christina had left.

“I then notified Imo State Social welfare that I have taken custody of my children. I also reported the vandalism and threat to our lives from Christina to the police. Lastly, her Father, Mr. Christian Amaefule stated to the elders on 4th February 2016 and I quote "I have taken my daughter, Emeka take your Children". The issue of Abduction/kidnapping is there­fore false and should not arise.

“Even while we were in Canada, there was a day she prepared acid to pour on me, with bleach, hot water, etc. I called the Canadian police and it took them several minutes to finally agree to en­ter the house because they were scared she would pour it on them. They entered the house and saw the hot water boiling, the bleach beside it and they called her out and she confessed.

“In addition, it was observed by the Onwuliri’s who attended the meeting, that her Father, Mr. Christian Amaefule, had hired thugs to be present at the location of the meeting to possibly kidnap and harm me. I hereby bring this to the Commissioner’s attention and hereby request that: The po­lice restrain Christina Onwuliri, her Father, Mr. Christian Amae­fule and his hired thugs from ha­rassing, threating and attacking me, my children or any members of the entire Onwuliri family as they threatened in front of the el­ders after the first meeting”.