Reports
Mother of Twins Flees With Babies, Alleges Family Deceived Her Into Marriage
By Rotimi Aleshinloye
A mother of twins has gone into hiding with her babies, alleging that her husband’s family deceived her into marriage.
Mrs. Onyinyechi Anumudu (née Nneji) is seeking to have the marriage declared null and void. She claims she was misled about her husband’s mental health, pressured to keep having children until she produced a male child, and forced to flee after her 19-year-old sister was arrested in her place.
Onyinyechi married Mr. Nnanyereugo Hubert Anumudu, first son of the late Chief Humphrey Anumudu and Mrs. Ngozi Anumudu, at the Federal Marriage Registry in Lagos on February 20, 2025.
According to Onyinyechi, she was living in Imo State and building her business when representatives of the Anumudu family approached her with a marriage proposal.
She said much of the courtship was conducted by telephone, audio and video calls, which gave her limited opportunity to spend time in person with her prospective husband.
She alleged that throughout the courtship, members of his family, particularly his mother, repeatedly assured her that he was mentally stable and capable of sustaining a normal marital relationship.
Onyinyechi said she was initially reluctant to leave Imo State because of her business. She claimed her prospective mother-in-law and other family members encouraged her to relocate to Lagos, promising to help her establish a business that would guarantee her financial independence after marriage. She eventually agreed.
She recounted that an intimate encounter occurred during the courtship while she was staying at the Anumudu family home. She said she had been hesitant because she had little opportunity to know her prospective husband personally, but alleged that persistent encouragement and reassurances from family members influenced her decision. Weeks later, she discovered she was pregnant.
According to her, the news was greeted with excitement by the Anumudu family, after which marriage arrangements were accelerated.
Later that year, she gave birth to twin girls. But instead of peace, she alleged, troubling developments began to unfold.
The most serious allegation concerns what she describes as the deliberate concealment of her husband’s mental health condition before marriage. She claimed she only became fully aware of what she described as recurring episodes of serious mental instability after the wedding.
According to her, she eventually began recording some of the alleged episodes on video and brought them to the attention of her husband’s family. She alleged that rather than expressing surprise, family members appeared unsurprised, which she interpreted as evidence that they had known about the condition beforehand and deliberately withheld it.
She further alleged that her husband had been presented to her during periods when the alleged symptoms were not apparent, limiting her opportunity to appreciate what she now describes as the true extent of his condition. She insists that had she known, she would never have consented to the marriage.
Onyinyechi also raised questions about events shortly after the wedding. She said the couple initially moved into an apartment provided by her husband’s family in Lekki, Lagos, but their stay was short-lived. According to her, Mrs. Ngozi Anumudu subsequently asked her to return to the family home, assuring her that she would personally care for her throughout the pregnancy.
At first, Onyinyechi said she regarded it as a thoughtful gesture. She now claims to believe the arrangement was designed to reduce the time she spent living with her husband, thereby preventing her from discovering the alleged condition earlier.
The dispute reportedly took a more disturbing turn after she confronted members of her husband’s family about the alleged concealment. Rather than receiving an explanation, she claimed she was met with threats and intimidation.
Her most alarming allegation is that she was pressured to continue having children with her husband until she delivered a male child. According to her, family members allegedly threatened that if she refused further intimacy for the purpose of conceiving a boy, her twin daughters would be forcibly taken from her.
Onyinyechi said the alleged threats became so frightening that she decided to leave and seek safety elsewhere with her daughters, fearing for her own wellbeing and the possibility that her children could be forcibly separated from her.
She consequently went into hiding with the twins.
On or about May 7, 2026, an incident reportedly occurred at Onyinyechi’s family compound in Imo State. About 15 police officers, allegedly attached to the police station identified in her statement as Ihio Police Station in Iheduru, arrived at the compound searching for her and her twin daughters. The officers, according to her, did not present a credible arrest warrant, search warrant or formal invitation authorising their actions.
When they could not find her, Onyinyechi claims the officers arrested her younger sister, Miss Oluebube Nneji, who was just 19 years old. She believes the alleged arrest was intended to pressure her into revealing her whereabouts and possibly returning with her children.
As of now, Onyinyechi says she remains in hiding with her twins for fear of her life and that of her children.
Efforts to get a reaction from the Anumudu family and the police were ongoing at the time of filing this report. The allegations remain unproven and have not been independently verified.