Izuchukwu Ehiemere is the father of 2-year old Liya who was allegedly kidnapped from the mother
in the UK and taken to Nigeria by the paternal grandmother. Izu has
finally decided to share his side of the story and maintains that he was
not an absent parent.
He says even though he initially did not want a baby with Moronke, he
changed his mind and was there for baby Liya’s birth. He says he has
also been involved with the child’s upkeep since then. Read Izu’s mail below…
My name is Izuchukwu Ehiemere and I am the biological father of Ms Liya
Tinuke Temidun Ehiemere. To be frank, I met Ms Moronke Fadoju (Liya’s
mother) at the University of Hertfordshire, United Kingdom and we began a
casual friendship at the time. We were not in a “binding” relationship,
it was purely casual.This relationship/friendship did not last up to three months of which I
was informed by her that she was pregnant with my child. Naturally,I was
surprised and in doubt but before I could make proper verifications,
she had already informed everybody both domestically and internationally
that myself and her were having a baby together.Furious at the time, admittedly I must have said some harsh things with
which I regret till date but I accepted my responsibility and worked
towards welcoming Liya into the world. I went as far as accommodating
Moronke for some months as she had been evicted from her house. This
idea didn’t go down well with my friends at the time but it was the
right thing to do, up until my landlord discovered.To cut that story short, I remained actively involved even when she got a
new place because the baby was fast approaching, helped with the baby
shower party, purchasing the baby cot, baby essentials etc. as well as
transporting her to the hospital to give birth, and thankfully I
witnessed the birth of Liya. I remained a key figure from Day1 helping
Moronke run errands since she was so weak after birth. I could go on and
on about how actively involved I was but the point drew near when I had
to return back to Nigeria for my NYSC some months after Liyas 1st
birthday.I am sorry if going to serve my country portrayed me as an absent
father. It does hurt a lot when Moronke says I never wanted Liya and I
have never been there for her. If I was never there for Liya, she had
the right to name Liya whatever she deemed fit and deny me parental
responsibility. There is a reason why her surname is Ehiemere.Given that I have PR to Liya, I share equal responsibility over Liya
unless Moronke has a court order stating otherwise. During the period of
my return back to Nigeria, we had an agreement that the best way to
help Moronke as a new mother, was by both mothers from the maternal and
paternal side taking intervals to travel to the UK to babysit Liya and
enable Moronke go back to the University. An agreement both families as
well as Moronke was very receptive to. Labelling my mother as a squatter
who relied on her assistance was very wrong.My mother handled every expenditure in Moronke’s household within her
stay there and assisted to the best of her ability. (Bank Statements
available as proof to that effect)My mother did not have to come to the
UK but she did purely out of love, twice as a matter of fact.During her stay, things did not pan out well as my mother observed a lot
of traits and behavioural patterns that could be of potential harm to
the proper development of Liya. For good reasons, confidential
information would not be disclosed here, but there is adequate evidence
to prove our genuine concern for Liya’s welfare and wellbeing in the UK.Social Services were also involved and would know best. As a result of
the potential risks to Liya’s welfare and wellbeing discovered, I
granted my mother Power of Attorney to act on my behalf with matters
regarding the welfare of Liya as I was not happy with the situation at
hand and the best outcome was for Liya to be brought to Nigeria. Ronke’s
family was informed that same day Liya arrived Nigeria including our
exact location. Putting up that blog on missing child was not called
for, as they were duly informed.
It seemed like a deliberate act to sabotage the good name of my family
and indirectly hurt my mother. Kidnap is a harsh allegation and it was
uncalled for in this regards. The blogs and messages were put up to
generate undue sympathy and rage. They were too erratic. She remained in
contact with Liya too, therefore I do not understand her claims of not
being allowed to speak with Liya.Every decision that was taken was in the best interest of my daughter,
Liya. She knows her father just as well as her mother, and I am not a
stranger to her. Liya was never traumatized during her stay here, as a
matter of fact, she was extremely happy to be reunited with her father
in a cleaner and stable environment.There have never been issues between both families and the stories
portrayed do not justify that. We remain as diplomatic as possible and
would not result to name calling or war of words because we want peace
to exist. I have no doubt with the events that have taken place and the
publicity generated, more watchful eyes would be placed on Liya and her
welfare going forward. This is all, we as a family have always wanted.