Woman Locked Up For 2 Years, So She Won’t Return To Estranged Husband, Regains Freedom

A mother-of-four, Hassana Saleh, kept in solitary confinement for two years by her elder brother at Rigasa, Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State, was, on Tuesday, rescued by a non-governmental organisation with the assistance of the Kaduna State Police.

Hassana was locked up in a single room apartment by her biological brother, Lawal Saleh, who is married to four wives and is father to 41 children.

Hassana urinated, defecated and ate for two years in her solitary confinement.

Hassana’s offence was that she wanted to go back to her former husband who had divorced her.

Her desire to return to her ex-husband was against the wish of her brother.

Founder of the Kaduna-based Arrida Relief Foundation, Rabi Ibrahim, who rescued Hassana, noted that the elder brother claimed to have locked her up because she was adamant about going back to her ex-husband’s house.

Rabi said the victim’s brother decided to lock her up for two years until her organisation got wind of the incident.

She said the victim would be taken to the hospital for medical attention.

Rabi also called on well-meaning Nigerians to come to her aid.

“The family believed that her ex-husband no longer loved her and had divorced her, which they said led to her depression.

“They, however, decided to lock her up in a room because they felt they had no other option,” she said.

In his defence, the victim’s brother, who is married to four wives, admitted that he locked her up, saying, however, that it was for “only seven months” and not two years as claimed.

Saleh, who has fathered 41 children, while speaking with newsmen at the Police headquarters in the state capital on Tuesday, said he was away when his sister was thrown out of her ex-husband’s house.

According to him, he had to lock his sister in the room because he could no longer cater to her needs.

Saleh said, “I was away and when I came back, I was told that Hassana’s husband had divorced her and that she had run away to an unknown destination.

“She was found and brought to my house, where I reside with my four wives and 41 children in Rigasa.

“I did my best to get medication for her, but she kept trying to run back to her former husband.

“She was later found and remarried to another man, but she left the marriage because she wanted to go back to the father of her children.

“I was helpless and did not know what to do because Hassana kept running away. So, I decided to keep her in the room because I could no longer foot the bills for her medication.

“Even food to eat became a problem for me and my household.

“She was locked up for seven months, not two years.”

Saleh also said two of his sisters usually cleaned up the room where their sister was kept.