A former governorship candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) in the 2023 Benue State election, Ewaoche Benjamin Obe, has found himself in a difficult situation after being evicted from his own house in Abuja. The eviction came as a shock to Obe when he discovered that his wife, Christiana Obe, had allegedly used the property as collateral for a loan.
According to reports, the house, located in the Sagwari Layout of Dutse, Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), was built by Obe himself. He had put years of effort and resources into constructing the house, only for it to be taken away in a manner that he did not anticipate.
Christiana, Obe’s wife, has been married to him since 2006. Both Obe and Christiana hail from Ogbadibo Local Government Area (LGA) of Benue State. Their marriage, which has lasted nearly two decades, has now reached a breaking point, with this recent incident further straining their relationship.
It was reported on Saturday that the eviction occurred on Wednesday, September 25, 2024. On that day, while Obe was on his way to Benue State, he received a shocking call informing him that security operatives had invaded his Abuja residence and were in the process of evicting him from his own home. Understandably angry and confused, Obe immediately turned back on Keffi Road in Nasarawa State to rush back to Abuja and confront the situation.
Upon arriving at the scene, Obe was handed a court document that stated his house had been confiscated due to an outstanding loan taken out by his wife. However, Obe insisted that he had never been notified about any court action or loan prior to the eviction. He expressed his disbelief to reporters, stating that no court notice was ever served to him before the invasion of his home by the security personnel.
As Obe arrived back at his house, he was greeted with the sight of military personnel and police officers stationed outside his property. His personal belongings had been thrown out onto the street, leaving his possessions scattered across the Sagwari Layout.
“She has done her worse. This is a house I built with my hard-earned money,” Obe told the lamented, clearly distraught and frustrated by his wife’s actions.
Obe took to Facebook live to share his side of the story, explaining that his wife, Christiana, had stormed the house with the support of some officers. He questioned how a court could confiscate a property without issuing any prior notice or warning. Obe also mentioned that he had no idea his wife had taken a loan, and that he was never contacted by the lenders at any point during the process.
Obe expressed deep concerns over the entire situation, noting that not only was he unaware of the loan, but his wife had also taken their son to a different location, possibly a new apartment, before the eviction took place. He expressed frustration, saying, “I was never served. This was plotted by my wife and the officers that came. We have been having issues for a while and I think this is her best way of getting at me.”
It was also gathered that Christiana, who is an officer in the Nigerian Air Force, had already begun to move some of her personal belongings out of the house before the eviction. According to Obe, she removed items such as air conditioners from the property without any objection from him, as he did not want to create a public scene at that moment. However, it became clear to Obe later that this was part of a larger scheme leading up to the eviction.
Further investigation into the court papers revealed a surprising claim. In the documents served during the eviction, it was stated that the claimant, Christiana, had been living in the house as a tenant, raising more questions about the validity of the entire process.
A family member, who chose to remain anonymous, expressed outrage over the situation. “Ewaoche (Obe) has invested a lot in this woman, even the job she currently has came from him. He saw this woman through school and has invested in her life in so many other ways. How do you connive with external persons to bring down a man you have lived with for more than two decades? How?” the family member said, clearly shocked by Christiana’s actions.
The family member also noted that if the roles were reversed and a woman had been in Obe’s position, society would have been quick to sympathize with her, saying, “na woman.” But in this case, it is the man who is being oppressed. “How can wife take a loan without informing the husband? Why did the lender not call to get details from property owner? Who values a house without a man who owns it? Something is seriously missing in all these,” the family member continued, pointing out several irregularities in the process.
There are also claims that the court papers used during the eviction were fake, and that the individuals responsible for carrying out the eviction may have been illegally mobilized. The family is calling for a thorough investigation by the Nigerian Air Force and the police into the officers who were captured in the video of the incident.
When Christiana was contacted by reporters for a response, she refused to give any details, saying, “I am not under any obligation to speak to anyone.”
The entire incident has raised numerous questions about the legality of the eviction, the role of Christiana in the situation, and the involvement of security operatives in what seems like an underhanded scheme. As more details emerge, Obe and his supporters are hoping for a swift resolution to this shocking turn of events, which has left a once-prominent political figure without his home and possibly betrayed by the very person he trusted most.
