An Iboko High Court sitting in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital, has sentenced a 39-year-old man, Chituru Mbam, to six months’ imprisonment without the option of a fine for forcefully evicting his wife, Mbam Ozoemena, from their matrimonial home and subsequently destroying the property.
The couple, who married in 2009 and share five children, had been experiencing marital conflicts for several years, ultimately culminating in the forced eviction, reports Channels TV.
Court proceedings revealed that at midnight on January 6, 2026, Mbam, accompanied by two unidentified men, invaded the family residence and evicted his wife shortly after he relocated to a newly completed building.
Following the eviction, he caused her arrest and detention at the Police Headquarters in Abakaliki.
While she was held in police custody, Mbam allegedly invaded the property again, removing the roof, doors, windows, and other valuable fittings to render the building completely uninhabitable.
The incident sparked swift intervention from a local human rights organisation, the Rose Foundation for the Protection of Women and Children.
The organisation’s Executive Secretary, Professor Mike Ajanwachukwu, submitted a formal petition to the Ebonyi State Commissioner of Police, leading to Mbam’s arrest and prosecution.
Delivering the judgment on Monday, the presiding judge, Justice Ruth Okeh, found the defendant guilty of the charges.
In addition to the six-month custodial sentence, the court ordered Mbam to pay his wife ₦500,000 in damages and directed him to secure a befitting shelter for her.
Reacting to the verdict, counsel to the complainant, Mrs. Ijeoma Mike-Ajanwachukwu, commended the judiciary for upholding justice, emphasising that no spouse has the legal right to eject another from a shared home.
“The defendant committed an offence punishable under Section 6 (1) of the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Law of Ebonyi State (2018), which strictly prohibits a spouse from forcefully evicting another,” Mrs. Mike-Ajanwachukwu stated.
“He evicted his wife from her matrimonial home, destroyed the building, and moved into a new residence with another woman.”
“He effectively rendered her homeless by deploying police officers and thugs to drive her out.”
