The family of Lillian Chibuzor Abua, yesterday, denied insinuation that the custody of her four children has been granted to Prophet Ayodeji Obayan, her former partner.
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The family said according to Igbo culture, it is forbidden for anyone who did not pay the dowry or bride price for their daughters to have custody of the children during the course of the relationship.

There were media reports that an Ondo Customary Court, presided over by Stephen Rotiba, awarded custody of the four children to Prophet Obayan.
However, the Abua family has refuted these claims, asserting that no such decision was made by the court.

The family through its spokesperson, Emmanuel Azubuike, said Magistrate Rotiba insisted that the earlier order of the court ceding the children to Lillian Abua stands, and there was no contrary order to that effect.

Azubuike said Obayan, who hails from Ondo State never consummated the alleged union with Lillian, who hails from Abia State by paying a bride price or dowry.

According to him, there was nothing binding the couple legally on them, despite cohabiting for over 23 years.

He said: “In Igbo culture, if a woman gets pregnant out of wedlock and gives birth without dowry being collected by her family, the child bears the woman’s maiden name.

“There is no way the father of the child can lay claim to the child/children if he has not paid their mother’s dowry.
“Let it be known that the children from this union are not kids, they are 23, 21, 18 and 16years old. They are grown and can make decisions for themselves.”

“They saw the maltreatment meant on their mother by a man who was supposed to be their father. Now they are happier without him and have chosen a path of happiness without Obayan.”

Azubuike said the family agreed with their lawyer that the court does not have the requisite jurisdiction to determine the same save for the last child of the ‘marriage’, who is still 16 years old.

According to him, the court ruled that the petitioner failed to establish the existence of a valid customary marriage, and the fact that the petitioner has not been able to prove the existence of any customary marriage does not in any way stop the court from making a pronouncement on the union between the woman and man.

Azubuike said in dissolving the union, the court held that since the evidence showed that though both have once lived and had four children together, there is no hesitation to dissolve the union based on the fact that the woman is now legally married to Prince Abua-Obi.
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