A High Court of Lagos State has been told of allegations of domestic violence, infidelity, emotional abuse, and financial deception in a divorce case involving a Nigerian lawyer based in the United States, Nnedimma Onyegbula, and her husband, Sonny Onyegbula.
In court filings before the High Court, Mrs. Onyegbula urged the court to dissolve their decades-long marriage, arguing that it has broken down irretrievably due to what she described as years of physical abuse, emotional trauma, infidelity, intimidation, and financial manipulation.
In her reply to the respondent’s defence, the petitioner alleged that she endured repeated physical assaults during the marriage, including incidents in which she was allegedly choked and physically attacked despite suffering from chronic medical conditions. She also claimed that one assault left her unconscious and required medical treatment.
Mrs. Onyegbula further alleged that her husband repeatedly subjected her to emotional abuse, withheld affection, body-shamed her, abandoned the matrimonial home during disagreements, and engaged in multiple extra-marital affairs, claims she said were reinforced by admissions he allegedly made during an illness in 2016.
The petitioner also claimed she was the primary financial provider throughout the marriage, alleging that she funded their traditional and church weddings, supported the family financially, paid major household expenses, financed their children’s education, and assisted members of the respondent’s extended family. She further accused the respondent of excluding her from ownership documents for a property despite her financial contribution.
The respondent, however, denied the allegations in his response to the petition, maintaining that he neither assaulted nor neglected his wife, rejected claims of infidelity and financial dependence, and disputed her account of several incidents outlined in the court documents.
The case, which centres on the dissolution of the marriage, is expected to proceed to trial, with Justice O. O. Ogunjobi adjournng the matter until October 2, 2026.
As the matter remains before the court, the allegations contained in the parties’ filings are yet to be determined by the court.
