‘I saw bruises on her dead body’ – Mother of woman who died during childbirth alleges domestic violence

The mother of MC Bonus’ late wife, who died with her baby during childbirth after allegedly suffering domestic violence, is seeking justice.

Ms. Esther Oqua Asuquo is accusing Emmanuel Chigozie Alionye, aka MC Bonus, the husband of her daughter, Itunu Alionye, of domestic violence against her daughter.

In a phone call to LIB, she explained that her daughter and her husband, MC Bonus, were always having squabbles over a variety of issues, including money matters.

She summoned them for a meeting and they revealed that MC Bonus borrowed a huge sum from Itunu and had refused to pay her back.

Ms. Asuquo said she resolved the issue between the couple and the husband promised to pay what he owed his wife.

However, their marital crisis went beyond money issues to domestic violence.

They welcomed their first child and when Itunu was pregnant with her second child, the domestic violence continued.

Itunu opened up to her mother about suffering domestic violence and Ms. Asuquo said she kept calling MC Bonus, asking to meet him so the issue he had with her daughter – his wife – could be resolved, but she said he kept avoiding her.

She explained that while her daughter was close to delivering her second child, she tried to intervene again but her daughter told her that her husband MC Bonus had insisted she apologises to his mother for them to have peace in their marriage.

Ms. Asuquo said the couple were still having crisis in their marriage when she received a call one morning in March from Itunu’s father’s family.

The caller, Alhaja Savage, who is married into Itunu’s father’s family, told her to come to Mother and Child hospital in Festac that her daughter is in labour.

She said she wondered what her daughter would be doing in a hospital in Festac when she lives at Okota and that’s not the hospital where she registered for antenatal.

On her way there, she got another call telling her to come to Isolo General hospital instead.

When she got there, she was told her daughter had died during childbirth and she saw her daughter and newborn grandchild’s body.

Photos of Itunu’s body shared online show blood coming out of her nose. Her newborn lay by her side.

Ms. Asuquo said she’s been seeking answers and justice since then, all to no avail.

She explained that MC Bonus was nowhere to be found when her daughter had to be rushed to the hospital and it was a neighbour that took Itunu to the hospital.

She added that when she spoke to the doctor after her daughter’s death, the doctor told her that her daughter had signs of physical abuse on her body.

She said that all her calls to MC Bonus went unanswered and she began trying to seek justice.

She visited a police station and was told to go to Panti. When she got there, she said they brought out her daughter’s husband and showed her that he was behind bars.

However, she said MC Bonus has now been released and he is walking free.

She added that he’s been planning her daughter’s burial without getting her involved and just sent her an invitation to her daughter’s Service of Songs and burial slated for April 12 and 13.

Ms. Asuquo said she wants answers and wants justice for her dead daughter.

Among the questions she has is why her daughter’s father’s family waited till her daughter had died to call her.

She alleged that Itunu’s father’s family took the deceased to Alagbo (a traditional medic) first before taking her to the hospital.

She said that hospital reports show that Itunu was dead on arrival.

She called on the Nigerian police to investigate what led to her daughter’s death and also to investigate MC Bonus for domestic violence.