A 40-year-old businesswoman and mother of three, Adejoke Mohammed, has accused her estranged husband, Lukman Mohammed, a lawyer, of abducting their children and subjecting her to years of domestic abuse.
While speaking to reporters on Monday from her base in Kuje, Abuja, Adejoke alleged the abuse began in 2021 after the birth of their second child and continued until 2025, when the couple separated and agreed to share custody of their children.
“We met back in secondary school and reconnected in 2015 through a mutual friend,” she recalled. “We dated long-distance—me in Lagos, him in Abuja—and got married in 2019. Our first daughter was born that same year, and everything seemed fine until 2021, when I had our second daughter. That’s when the violence began.”
She said a week after the birth of their second child, a minor disagreement led to a violent episode in front of her mother.
Despite family interventions, she said the abuse persisted, even during her third pregnancy, which she claimed her husband tried to force her to terminate.
“When I was pregnant with our third daughter, he asked me to abort it, claiming he wasn’t interested. He was absent throughout the pregnancy and only resurfaced after the birth, just to assume responsibility for the children,” she said.
Adejoke alleged the abuse escalated again in February 2025, prompting their separation and a shared custody agreement.
However, she claimed her husband refused to return the children after his custody period, and denied her access to their one-year-old daughter’s immunisations.
She also said he later declared the marriage dissolved and took full custody of the children without her consent.
Distressed by the situation, Adejoke filed complaints with the Kuje Police Station, the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), and the Ministry of Women Affairs.
ÑHer lawyer also petitioned the Inspector General of Police and the Nigerian Bar Association for intervention.
“I’m emotionally drained. I can’t see or speak to my children. I’m scared and living in fear. Once I get my children back, I plan to leave Abuja and return to Lagos to protect myself,” she said.
When contacted, Lukman Mohammed denied the allegations, accusing his wife of being violent and manipulative. He claimed she had attacked him with a knife and broken bottles on multiple occasions, with their maid and a relative allegedly witnessing the incidents.
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He further alleged that Adejoke had sent him voice notes threatening to kill their children and commit suicide, prompting him to seek full custody.
“When someone threatens to kill your children, what choice do you have?” Lukman said. “I had to act to protect them. Better to be proactive than regretful.”
Lukman added that he had once involved the police when Adejoke allegedly tried to flee with the children.
However, the FCT Police Command, spokesperson Josephine Adeh declined to comment, citing the ongoing nature of the court case.
“I don’t speak on matters that are already in court,” she said.
