Justice Ruth Okeh of 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 leading to the crash of their marriage and his forceful eviction from their matrimonial home.
Channels TV reports that 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 in police custody, Mbam allegedly invaded the property again, removing the roof, doors, windows, and other valuable fittings to render the building completely uninhabitable.
A human rights organization, the Rose Foundation for the Protection of Women and Children, picked up Ozoemena’s case and filed a petition with the state police.
Delivering 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 N500,000 in damages and directed him to secure a befitting shelter for her.