The Very Sweet Victory For Jlaa Member, Naomi Olikagbue.

Naomi was a senior management staff with Shell Petroleum, Port Harcourt. Barthlomew Olikagbue was a trader in computer and computer accessories somewhere in Lagos.

They met aboard a flight from PH to Lagos. Theirs was the case of “love at first sight”. They struck up friendship. One thing led to another, they became married.

Prior to the marriage, the inequality in financial status was evident and very glaring. Naomi was earning mega money in Shell Petroleum while Barthlomew was a struggling trader at computer village, Lagos.

He moved in with her after the marriage. She supported his business financially and did everything to make him feel at home. Initially, it looked like perfect scrip from a Nollywood.

After a year, she had son for him. By this time Barthlomew was fairly settled in. He, all of a sudden became unsure, perpetually suspicious of her and lacking in self-confidence.

She did everything to assure him. He insisted she quits her job and join him in business as her work was taking her away too much from him. By this time, she had bought a property in PH where they were living together as husband and wife.

Somehow and somewhat, he convinced her and she resigned her job. She was paid 37 Million Naira as severance pay. It was the year GSM was introduced into Nigeria and a sim card was sold for 34 thousand Naira!

She advised her husband to diversify into GSM handsets importation. She sold the house in PH and together with the 37M, they both traveled to China and imported phones and phone accessories to the country.

They made a fortune and wealth came in as they became one of the biggest importers of GSm handsets and accessories. But so also came in troubles for Naomi.

She withdrew from the running of the business at his promptings to take care of the home front. She became a full time house wife especially when the business had blossomed into branches all over the country.

Barthlomew ensured she was actually busy at home. They had 7 children within a space of 12 years. And suddenly the fairy tale ended.

Barthlomew gradually became unapproachable, hot tempered and evasive. He removed Naomi from signatory to all the company accounts. He stopped discussing the business with her and would leave instructions to all the branch managers not to listen or allow her access to company books.

Naomi found out that he has fathered two children with two different women outside wedlock within same year. She was heartbroken and confronted him. He did not deny and told her it was a “mistake”.

Curiously, she would blame herself for all his misdeed and sought to win him over by acts of love. Events came to a head when Barthlomew impregnated Naomi ‘s 21 year old cousin living with them.

It was a big blow to her. She tried to confront him and he assaulted her and battered her in the most vicious act of domestic violence one could ever think of.

He threw her out of the house broke, empty handed and penniless.Worse still, he denied her access to the children. Even her personal car, she was not allowed to take out of the home she built with her efforts and money. She was devastated and broken.

She became sickly and was in and out of hospital. Disappointment has a way of becoming malignant inside the body when you do not air it out. Naomi was diagnosed of cancer of the breast. Without money, she was dying slowly.

Their church leaders, elders, and friends could not prevail on Barthlomew to change his mind. Naomi brought police into the matter. Barthlomew is a billionaire. Police do not arrest billionaire in Nigeria. Yet she had no money to hire a lawyer.

He told her in mockery to go and “tell the president”. She did not go to the president. She came to JLAA.

Tears welled up my eyes as she narrated her story. She backed it up with documents. Opeyemi Baderu’s face was streaming tears. We consoled her and promised to step into the matter.

We initially approached Barthlomew Olikagbue. He scorned and dared JLAA to court. Left with no choice, we went to court. We applied for divorce on her behalf and demanded for equal sharing of the assets, properties,monies and fortunes accumulated during the subsistence of the marriage. We filed applications for full disclosures and production of company books and account statements in 6 banks including overseas.

It was a hostile litigation. He hired a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and fought back with the ferocity of a caged animal. We won at the High Court and the court ordered that the assets, properties,monies and fortunes accumulated during the subsistence of the marriage, inclusive of monies  in 6 banks including overseas be shared equally between Barthlomew and Naomi Olikagbue.

He appealed and went to Court of Appeal. JLAA also won on appeal.

Yesterday, just yesterday, we levied execution of the judgement of court. Naomi is now the owner of 4 houses in Lekki, 2 in Abuja and a plaza in Port Harcourt.

Bartholomew connived with auditors, accountants and lawyers to “bury” monies in the different company accounts. Naomi still got a paltry 25M at the end of the day

Naomi is currently treating cancer in India and was not available to celebrate with us yesterday.

She called me last night and in a weak voice told me this words I will never forget in my life;

“I WILL REFUSE TO DIE SO THAT I CAN TELL THE WORLD ABOUT YOU AND JLAA. Please wait for me. I will be back”

Barrister Kingsley Ughe