Nollywood actor in divorce controversy

Fred and Wife

A Lagos High Court sitting in Lagos on Monday March 29, 2010, adjourned further hearing in the petition for dissolution of marriage sought by Nollywood actor, Fred Aseroma, against his wife, Blessing Aseroma, till April 30, 2010.

From evidence before the court, Mr. Aseroma, 40, had on November 4, 2009 submitted an affidavit of urgency, praying the court to dissolve his marriage to enable him remarry a British resident, so as to complete his education in the United Kingdom.

“I have been living in the United Kingdom without the appropriate papers for some time as a student. [That] my wife-to-be in the UK does not wish to accommodate me any longer unless I am able to formally obtain divorce from my present marriage. [That] the only option available to me to remain in the UK is get married to a resident, to enable me conclude my studies,” read the affidavit signed by Mr. Aseroma.

Though the case did not come up for mention owing to the ongoing deployment of Lagos State judges, Mrs. Aseroma, 38, said her husband has not been truthful about his marital situation to the court. She said her husband has already got married to his would-be benefactor in the UK, while not yet divorced from her.

“He told the court that I left our matrimonial home because of his absence to seek for greener pastures. This is not true. Even when he kept travelling to the UK and hardly sent upkeep money, I have always been at our house in Ojodu with our three kids and his brother, Temotighe, who lives in the same house with us,” Mrs Aseroma said.

In a media report (not NEXT) published on February 3, 2010, Mr. Aseroma was said to have secretly married Titi Jacobs, described as a ‘London Big Girl’ seeking “to be a successful film maker”; with them both living in an apartment in Hackney, London.

The report also read: “Fred who relocated to London few years ago is seeking greener pastures in UK after he fell on bad times in Nigeria and the only way for him to survive in UK is by getting married to someone who can help him facilitate his resident papers.”

Following Mr. Aseroma’s arrest last week Friday by the Ojodu-Abiodun Police Division over allegations of wife battery, Mrs. Aseroma, who met her husband over 10 years ago while they were both students at the University of Lagos, said she is willing to concede to her husband’s request for a divorce, but not on his terms.

“I have suffered his beating for over 10 years. I cannot take it any longer. Let us go our separate ways. But I will not accept for him to take my children from me. These are the same children that I am the one taking care of, looking for money everywhere to pay their school fees,” Mrs. Aseroma said.

Mr. Aseroma had asked the court to grant him custody of their children, aged six, eight and 10 years, while proposing that their mother “have access to the children once a month” and that they “spend part of their long holidays” with their mother.

Also commenting, counsel to Mrs. Aseroma, Simeon Ikani of Ikani, Afolabi and Co. Chambers, questioned the procedure applied by Mr. Aseroma in seeking his divorce, which he said suggests wanting the court to hear and determine the marriage dissolution proceedings without Mrs. Aseroma contesting.

“The petitioner (Mr. Aseroma) filed his first petition for dissolution of marriage on March 4, 2009. Another petition was filed on October 8, 2009 with the affidavit for urgency filed in November 2009. But throughout this time, my client (Mrs. Aseroma) was never served. I had to apply myself for all the documents,” Mr. Ikani said.

Though all phone calls and text messages to Mr. Aseroma went unanswered, his lawyer, Lawrence Ehiwogwu, in a telephone call, said he would not comment, as the case is in court.

“My friend, why are you wasting your credit? The matter is in court. I cannot place it in the domain of public opinion. You can find out from the court,” Mr. Ehiwogwu said.

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