By Damilola Akinlotan
In a dramatic turn of events, Mr. Igiebor, the man whose wife was recently seen in a viral video tearing his international passport at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport in Lagos, has responded by narrating the full story of the incident for public scrutiny.
Mr. Igiebor, in his response, revealed that his wife had posted a video message earlier in the day, having gained unauthorised access to his social media account. “My wife posted something, I know she has gone far because she is very smart. She has gone far to get the password of this page and she posted something this morning,” he said. He added, “Since she wants us to do it this way, we will work on it together. I believe she will get tired.”
The embattled husband refrained from saying much about the cause of the incident but urged Nigerians to watch the complete video. He mentioned that the video had already garnered attention from various bloggers and even international media outlets like CNN. “Go and watch the video; I have the full clip. You’ll see something. She did not know that I gave somebody my phone,” he explained. “This is something that we can solve as a family, but she is trying to push it up. No problem, I’m following her and I will tackle it, and she will get tired.”
Mrs. Favour Igiebor, the woman at the center of the controversy, earlier defended her actions in a video released following the incident at the weekend. She criticised bloggers, including Tunde Ednut and Instablog, for jumping to conclusions without understanding her side of the story. “I’m not a mad woman who would just come and act like that,” she stated. “I have my reasons. I’ve gone through so many things. So many of you are just commenting on the video; friends and people who I haven’t spoken with for years are now calling me. I am not like that.”
Mrs. Igiebor also hinted at deeper family issues, expressing frustration with how her husband, who she claimed controlled most of her affairs, including her social media pages, has treated her. “I have gone through a lot of things, family issues here and there every time. My husband cannot speak. It took me a lot of time because he is the one handling a lot of things for me. He is the one handling my page for me. My email wasn’t attached to it; his email was attached to it too,” she lamented.
In the wake of the incident, the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has launched a formal investigation. In a statement, the NIS confirmed that Mrs. Igiebor has been identified and invited for questioning. “If the allegations are substantiated, her actions would have constituted a breach of Section 10(b) of the Immigration Act 2015 (as amended), with corresponding penalties outlined under Section 10(h) of the same Act,” the NIS stated.
The video, which has spread widely across social media, shows Mrs. Igiebor tearing her husband’s standard passport, with torn pieces visible on the floor. When confronted, she defiantly responded in Pidgin English, “I tore it. Is it yours?” She was later seen walking away with her children, leaving her husband standing forlorn with a baby in a stroller.
