Fight over properties tears family apart in Benue

As reported by Ukan Kurugh

Some days ago, the social media was awash with pictures of the inhuman treatment of meted out to Mr. Afakereta, the Proprietor of Goodnews Schools Northbank by his supposed wife and son.

Below are excerpts from my Interview with Daniel Afakereta, first son to the Proprietor of Goodnews Schools, his narration of the true position of things (on their part of the story) and events that built up to the unfortunate incidence of Sun 9th January 2021:

That there has always been a squabble in the family over who will inherit Mr. Afakerete as he had two sons from two wives.

That Mr. Afakereta registered the school with the Corporate Affairs Commission in 2009, with a share capital of 1000 shares.

He allocated #700 shares to himself and shared the remaining 300 shares amongst the rest, including his wife.

By the customs and Traditions of the Isoko people of Delta state, where Mr. Shadrach Afakerete comes from, the first son inherits his father.

Knowing this, Mrs Afakereta began trying out all methods of taking out Daniel, the first son out of the equation. She wanted her son who is the second son, to inherit his father. Always stating that she could not labour and have another person reap the fruits of her labour.

She made the house so hot for Daniel that he had to leave so peace could reign.

Mr. Shadrach Afakereta started having BP issues after some years and it soon developed into a stroke. He handed over the management of the school to his wife because his health no longer permitted him to run the school personally.

This arrangement seemed to have worked out perfectly for Mrs Afakereta as this gave her the opportunity to perfect her plans. A few years after she began managing the school, everything began to go down in the school.

It was alleged that she used funds realized from running the school to establish her own school somewhere in Abuja. She no longer took care of her husband neither was she concerned about his medications.

Daniel said he got several reports of his father’s ill treatment from neighbours. But his hands were tied as there was nothing much he could do. Several times he tried to come to his father’s aid but he ended up in police custody.

At a point they involved the services of a lawyer who advised they settle out of court, since the matter was between the family. The Wife said the settlement must be on her own terms as she now claimed ownership of the school.

She finally had her way after she had Daniel in custody at the Police Zone Command, following a fight which ensued in the school, carried out by youths in the community as their way of protesting against Mrs. Afakereta’s ill treatment of the husband. The women said Daniel was the mastermind of this protest but Daniel denied ever having a hand in it.

The terms were very unfavourable to the Proprietor as they completely stripped him of ownership of Goodnews Schools and his first son left without a stake in the school. Mrs Afakereta appeared to have altered the momorandum and articles of the company to suit her desire.

Mr. Afakereta, it appears had unknowingly authorised this alteration as he had to sign several documents brought to him by the wife, who always seemed in a hurry and never explained the documents. Daniel knew his father had been treated unfairly. But his hands were tied. So he also agreed to the new arrangement, if it meant there finally would be peace.

Daniel took his father to live with him where he stayed in one of his father’s properties. He advised the father to leave the woman alone as it appeared she had blocked all chances of Mr. Afakereta getting help to recover his school from her.

The terms of settlement they had agreed to, made provisions for a certain amount of money to be remitted to Mr. Afakereta on a monthly basis for his medications and upkeep. However the wife defaulted on countless occasions. A call from the lawyer to have them keep to these terms were ignored.

Sometime in 2020, the wife said the school was no longer doing well financially, and as such, Mr. Afakereta would be given 7000 weekly for his upkeep. Left with no much options after he has been stripped of almost everything, he still agreed to this arrangement.

But even this one, they defaulted.

It was on one of such days that Mr Afakereta, aggrieved, left his son’s house, without his son’s knowledge, and went over to where his wife now lived alone with her children to demand for this payment, that he met the inhuman treatment meted out to him by his wife and second son.

Eye witness said he had been dragged by his son to be thrown out of his house, but Mr. Afakereta grabbed the gate and wouldn’t let go. After hitting his father’s hand severely to let go of the gate, the son picked a chain and locked his father in-between the gate after unsuccessfully trying to have him loose his hold of the gate. It was at this point that neighbours started gathering and some quickly rush to get his first son.

Daniel said he refused to come to the scene when he was told, this was not because he didn’t care, but because he was tired of fighting a lost battle. He was however later persuaded to go and he did.

The police got informed and they got to the place, took some pictures and broke the chain to free Mr. Afakereta. Youths rushed in as soon as the gate was opened and attempted to break in but were stopped by the police who by now had called for back up. This was however, not before they had caused some minor damage to the car, parked in the compound.

At the Police station, Mr. Afakereta gave his statement and the police advised he be taken to the hospital as he had bruises and a swollen hand from the beating he received from his son and wife. He was taken to the General Hospital Northbank and an X-ray was recommended. However, since it was Sunday, they couldn’t get a laboratory opened so they had to return on Monday.

While Running around for all these, Daniel was informed that some men who appeared to be police men, although not in Uniform had come looking for him. He was advised to stay away from the house, which he did.

Daniel said he was informed that the wife tried escaping, but was caught by some area guys but rumour still has it that she bailed herself out with some cheque. A few days after tension had been doused she returned and appeared at the station with one of the staff who always ran errands for her.

She was not arrested by the police, but was given a deadline to provide her son.

Daniel said he was not surprised and is also not hopeful as he has sure nothing will still happen to them. He is convinced the woman has the power to always buy over everyone and since they do not have the means to fight her, they have resigned to fate.

She has proven her determination to frustrate their efforts as even their trips to the Human Right Commission yielded no positive results.

Daniel believes his father will one day get Justice, how that will happen he does not know.

Although I have so far been unable to reach the wife, I am hopeful, that Justice will be served soon.