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The National President of NAWOJ, Ladi Bala, led the delegation and demanded the immediate prosecution of the suspect who is in police custody.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The National Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ) on Tuesday stormed the Adamawa State police headquarters to demand justice for a fellow journalist.
Nafeesah Vandi was physically assaulted and left with a disfigured face by her former husband, Ibrahim Aliyu.
SaharaReporters learnt the National President of NAWOJ, Ladi Bala, led the delegation and demanded the immediate prosecution of the suspect who is in police custody.
Speaking to journalists, Bala expressed concerns that there were moves to pervert the course of justice, as according to her, “the victim, the police and even the NUJ (Nigeria Union of Journalists) were under intense pressure to sweep the case under the carpet”.
“We’ll relentlessly pursue the case until the full wrath of the law takes its course because I’m convinced this needs to be done,” she added.
Aliyu reportedly ambushed and pounced on his former wife, Vandi, punching her in the face after she alighted from a vehicle in front of her rented apartment in Yola, Adamawa state, last Tuesday.
It was learnt that the couple were divorced in March 2021 but he has allegedly made frantic efforts to restore the marriage since then.
Vandi, who is a reporter at the Adamawa Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) Yola, had tearfully narrated the encounter, saying, “I came down from a car to receive punches to my face right in front of my own house.
“I had returned from the NUJ (Nigeria Union of Journalists) Press Centre where we had a meeting about the forthcoming election of NAWOJ (National Association of Women Journalists).
“A male driver had lifted three of us, all ladies. Soon after I dropped off, the car zoomed off because the driver was hurrying to see his wife at a hospital.
“As I moved to walk into the house, my ex (former husband) came out of hiding, descended on me with punches to my face, till I collapsed to the ground. He was yelling that I was dropped off by a suitor.
“Interestingly, this man is merely the father of my three children, because he’s no longer my husband. We legally divorced last year in March.
“I’ve reported the matter to the police, and I’ve been told they’re looking for him,” she said.
However, in a dramatic twist on Tuesday after one week, Vandi told SaharaReporters that she was no longer interested in seeking justice through the courts.
“I no longer want him jailed for the crime because it could be used to stigmatise my children in future when someone comes to marry them. I can’t stand someone scaring my daughter’s suitor away by citing this incident as a woman who jailed her ex,” she added.
However, Ladi insisted that Vandi may have suffered a concussion and therefore not in the right frame of mind to take the right decision.
“In any case, this is a crime against the state, Nafeesah is just the victim,” Ladi stressed.
