Father Thanks Son-in-Law For Not Returning Daughter In A Body Bag - Woman

A story of a father reclaiming his daughter from an abusive marriage has spread widely on Facebook after a close friend of the woman shared an account of the events.

According to the post, the woman, Charlotte Boma, referred to her friend Ngozi, endured years of domestic violence, infidelity and infections passed on by her husband during a 15-year marriage.

She reportedly stayed through three pregnancies, four miscarriages linked to the abuse, and repeated cycles of mistreatment, hoping the marriage could still be repaired.

The situation came to a head on July 25, when the husband allegedly packed her belongings while she was at work and, with help from his family, took them to her father's house in Port Harcourt to return her.

Her brothers and uncles reportedly turned him away at the gate, telling him that since the marriage had not taken place in Port Harcourt, he was obligated to return her and her things to the village where the traditional wedding had happened.

A date was set for that return.

According to the account, when the husband's family arrived at the woman's father's compound this past week, her relatives moved quickly through the customary rites: breaking cola nut, accepting an envelope believed to contain the returned bride price, and breaking a calabash of palm wine.

The gesture, the friend wrote, formally ended the marriage on the spot.

The husband's family reportedly hadn't expected a full dissolution. They allegedly believed handing back her belongings would prompt a family meeting to help the couple reconcile.

Once it became clear the marriage was over, they reportedly began pleading and asked to take the children at least.

The wife's family declined, citing custom: with the bride price returned, the children are considered to belong to their mother's family unless the husband's side formally performs separate rites to ‘marry’ the children back, with the mother's family's consent.

Part of the original account reads:

‘The father walked to the gate, took his daughter's hand and grandkids and he said, Adanne, ka! He turned to his in-laws and said, Thank you for not bringing her in a body bag. He walked in with his family and the gate was closed.’

The friend who shared the story described the father, a widower who lost his wife and a son in a car accident and raised his children alone, breaking down in tears once he was home with his daughter and grandchildren.

The woman reportedly told her friend the next morning that she had slept in her father's arms and, for the first time in years, felt okay.