A melodrama yesterday ensued at the Federal Medical Centre, Owerri, the Imo State capital when a man held a pregnant woman hostage for running away with his pregnancy.
The man identified as, Mr. Washington Ukonu is a native of Uratta in Owerri North Local Government Area of the state, was spotted by our 247ureports.com’s reporter at the entrance gate of the hospital with the woman identified as Mrs. Chinwendu Obichere, claiming to have impregnated her in the last five months but she ran away with the pregnancy.
In the ensuing melodrama which attracted the attention of on-lookers, Ukonu disclosed that the woman used to be his girlfriend before 2008 when he got married to another woman, but they re-united early this year where “I pleaded with her to bear me at least two children. She agreed after hearing the story of my wife’s inability to conceive”.
He also claimed that his wife gave her consent for the pregnancy agreement between him and Mrs. Obichere to take place, adding that that was the reason he openly dated the woman.
In his words, “I had an agreement with her that she should give me two children because my wife had conception challenges. This was about five months ago. But she became pregnant and disappeared with it and without a trace. I thank God I ran into her now in this hospital.
“I’ve been calling her; she never answered my phone calls all through this last five months. But unfortunately for her, I’ve got her today”, Ukonu said, adding that he was ready to go for any medical test to prove his innocence.
But narrating her own story, the woman, married to Obichere family in Umuogide village, Oforola Community in Owerri West Local Government Area of the state, denied the claims saying she never entered into any agreement with Ukonu who she agreed is her ex-boyfriend.
She told the gathering crowd that her relationship with Ukonu ended in 2007 when he got married to another woman while she went back to school to complete her degree programme at Alvan Ikoku Federal College of Education, Owerri from where she also got married.
She said during her days in school, she bore two children before she got married to her present husband, Mr. Obichere with whom she had now born another two children.
The mother of four stated that seven years after they parted ways, fate brought them together again last five months.
She said Ukonu narrated his childless problems to her and pleaded that she help him bear at least two children, a plea, she said she refused to grant, maintaining that Ukonu was never responsible for her pregnancy.
