Girl whose 'mistaken' identity led to death of pregnant woman speaks

Yesterday , a husband alleged his pregnant wife ,Mrs Vivienne Wilfred, died on March 16 after she was detained by the Police for allegedly kidnapping a girl.. It all started when a girl  spotted his wife in the market with the little girl and raised alarm about the girl being her missing sister ..

The woman denied,insisting the girl was her under her care with permission from her mother, but the Police was invited and she was locked up.Pleas by her husband to swap places with her fell on deaf ears..After she was released, she died shortly..

Now, the girl in question,Perpetual Uchewuako, whose identity led to a quarrel between her and the Udomadu family, yesterday relived how the incident happened.

The result of the DNA on Uchewuako, who Mrs Chiwendu Udomadu is claiming to be her daughter, is expected to be read in court on Monday.

 “They detained my aunty (Vivienne). They put her in a cell. I saw them put her there. So when they put her there, my uncle (Solomon Wilfred) was worried. He now went to meet the woman upstairs that they should release her because she needs to go and take her drugs and she was not feeling too well.”

 She said on March 7, she was at the Arena Shopping Mall in Oshodi with Mrs. Usman, the woman she learnt hairdressing from, when Chinemerem Udomadu called out: “Osinachi”, claiming that “I am her missing sister”.

 A girl came and stood at my back, claiming that I was her sister, but I told her I was not the one. She called her sister’s name, held my cloth and said I was the one. I told her I was not the one. So the woman I was with turned and asked her what the problem was.

“She said this is her sister that has been lost, and she has not found her. The woman told her I was not the one, so she held my cloth and was insisting,” Uchewuako said.

The Nation learnt that Chinemerem’s insistence that her sister had a mark on her back led to Uchewuako being undressed to check if she had such mark.

Chinemerem left after such mark was not found on Uchewuako.

Uchewuako added: 

“On March 11, Mrs. Usman returned to the market to warn Chinemerem against her action.  Chinemerem still insisted that I am her missing sister; she later called her mother Mrs Chinwendu Udomadu to come to Lagos because her missing sister had been found.

“Mrs Udomadu came to Lagos from Imo state. On reaching the Arena, a huge argument ensued, which led to all of us being moved to the police station.”

At the police station, the Wilfreds were asked for proof that Uchewuako is under their guidance.

Her parents Anthony and Florence Uchewuako came to Lagos on March 16 and told the police that their child is under the Wilfred’s care.

Mrs Uchewuako told The Nation yesterday that she was unhappy when she received a call that someone was laying claim to being her daughter’s mother.

“When I heard that someone was claiming ownership of my daughter, I was not happy; my daughter has been living with Vivienne since 2015. Before she started living with her (Vivienne), she was living with Gladys (Vivienne’s mum) until she died last year.

“After the burial, I was told on phone that Perpetual will go back to them. I asked them why, they said they love Perpetual and want her to continue living with them,” Mrs Uchewuako said.

 Culled from-The Nation