[Photo] Man disappears over wife ’s third set of twins in Abia state

Where is Citizen Emeka Benjamin Uche , a
Lagos factory worker ?
That was the big question yesterday as his
wife , Ruth , 34, from Abia State broke the
news of his disappearance since February.
Uche , 39, fled home when he learnt that
his expectant wife was carrying a set of
twins – the family ’ s third.
Mrs Uche was at the Lagos State
Secretariat, Alausa yesterday with her six
children, pleading for help .
Not many knew what she wanted as she
stood under a tree , close to the Press
Centre , carrying the babies . Her first two
sets of twins, much older, stood close to
their mother , and did not in any way seem
intimidated by the sea of cameras and
faces focusing on them .
Mrs . Uche was receptive when our
reporter approached her to narrate her
ordeal .
In 2009 when she first conceived, she was
delivered of two girls – Goodness and
Godnews. The second conception , two
years later, produced another two – a boy
and a girl , named John and Joyce .
But when her husband, Emeka, learnt that
the third pregnancy was another set of two
he fled their number 32, Awori Street ,
Agege home on the outskirt of Lagos to an
undisclosed location in Ikorodu, Lagos.
The third set of twins arrived last month .
They were named Daniel and Daniella .
Mrs . Uche said she could no longer cope
with widening needs for food , clothes,
drugs and school fees .
Her meagre earnings as a teacher in a
private school in Lagos can no longer meet
their needs .
Her story : “I met my husband in 2002 but
we got married in 2008 . We met in the
village at Umuahia . I don ’ t want to leave
the children and run away . This is why I
want government to help us , ” she said .
She recalled that she never wanted the
third pregnancy , but her use of traditional
means of family planning ( counting fertile
and infertile days ) failed her .
“I was using traditional way of family
planning where I calculate some days
before having intercourse. It was working
for me. You can see my first set of twins is
four years old.
“You know as women, we cannot deny our
husband that thing whenever they request
for it . Whenever I mistakenly take in, he
would say that I was pretending.
Sometimes, I would go through long
process to abort the pregnancy . After that ,
another one would happen. I would still
have to go through the process again to
abort it . When this one happened he still
insisted that I was pretending until the
pregnancy became obvious . ”
“My Church was responsible for the
payment of the first delivery . The church
paid N 120, 000 for the delivery of the first
set of twins. The two deliveries of the
twins have been through Caesarean
Section for which we paid N120 , 000 each .
The last twins are through normal
delivery ”.
Mrs . Uche explained that her husband , a
factory worker in Iju Road, Agege , has
since refused to pick her calls . She learnt
that he stays in Ikorodu.
“Since I gave birth to the children , I have
tried calling my husband but he would not
pick once he knows that it is me . I
contacted his mother and other relatives to
tell them that he has run away . They
promised that they will call back . Since
then , none of them has called me. It is not
easy for me at all .
“I know only two of his relations . One of
them lives in Ikorodu ; the other one lives at
Ajegunle. My elder brother, who could have
also helped , is very angry with me for
giving birth to another set of twins. He
warned me before not to have any other
child after the two sets of twins, especially
with the kind of husband I have .
“I cannot put my hands in blood shedding
by committing abortion . I want Nigerians
to help me because there is nobody to pay
their school fees .
“I went for immunisation some days ago
and I told them my condition and why they
have not been seeing me. It was there that
they advised that I should come to
government. Government should please
help my children; no one to help me with
house rent, electricity bill , school fees , food
and so on, ” Mrs . Uche said .