Victoria Okoro, wife of Francis Obila, son of the Deputy Governor of Ebonyi State, has publicly appealed for the return of access to her two young children after allegedly being separated from them for eight weeks.
Okoro, in a statement posted on her Facebook page on Monday, August 17, 2026, said she had deliberately remained silent since June 21, when she was separated from her children, in the hope that the matter could be resolved privately and peacefully.
According to her, her second child was barely three months old at the time, while her first child was only one year and six months old.
She said the prolonged separation had become increasingly difficult for her as a mother, particularly because of the very young ages of the children.
While she did not stated the reason behind the separation, she however said: “For the past eight weeks, I have deliberately chosen silence.
“I have tried to remain calm. I have tried to be respectful of the people involved and their positions. I have tried to resolve this privately and peacefully.
“I have had conversations, reached out, and made several attempts to find a way for me to have access to my children,” she said.
Okoro said she had refrained from making the matter public because she believed that dialogue and reason would eventually lead to a resolution.
However, she said the continued separation had left her with little choice but to speak publicly and appeal for intervention.
“Eight weeks is a very long time for a mother to be separated from her children, especially children so young,” she said.
The mother stressed that her decision to speak out was not motivated by revenge, hatred or bitterness, saying she had forgiven those involved in the dispute.
“I want to make something very clear: this is not about bitterness, revenge, or hatred. I have forgiven everyone involved,” she said.
“If this were only about me, perhaps I would have walked away from this situation a long time ago.
“But it is not only about me.”
Okoro said her major concern was the welfare of the two children, whom she described as innocent parties who should not be made to suffer the consequences of disagreements between adults.
“There are two innocent children at the centre of this situation,” she said.
“Children who did not ask for any of this. Children who should not have to bear the consequences of whatever disagreement exists between the adults in their lives.
“They deserve the love, presence and care of both their parents.”
She maintained that her silence over the past eight weeks should not be interpreted as weakness or acceptance of the situation.
“I have remained silent for this long because I wanted peace. I have respected private conversations because I believed that, eventually, reason would prevail,” she said. “But silence should not be mistaken for weakness, and patience should not be mistaken for consent.”
Okoro subsequently appealed directly to her husband, Francis Obila, and his mother, urging them to agree to what she described as a “peaceful and immediate resolution” and allow her access to and custody of the children.
“I am therefore making this public appeal to my husband, Francis Obila, and his mother: I am asking that we find a peaceful and immediate resolution to this situation and that I be allowed access to and custody of my children,” she said.
She also gave the parties one week to resolve the matter privately, warning that she would otherwise begin publicly recounting the circumstances surrounding her separation from the children.
“I am giving this one more week for us to resolve this privately and peacefully,” she said.
“If nothing changes after that, I will have no choice but to begin sharing, in a series, the events and circumstances that have brought us to this point.”
Okoro, however, said any subsequent public disclosure would not be intended to attack or destroy the reputation of any individual involved.
She said she would instead present her account of events and allow members of the public to draw their own conclusions.
“I will not do so to insult anyone, destroy anyone’s reputation, or seek revenge,” she said.
“I will simply tell my story, present the facts as I experienced them, and allow the public to understand what has been happening behind the scenes for the past eight weeks.”
The statement comes amid an unresolved family dispute whose full circumstances have not been publicly disclosed.
Okoro did not provide details in the statement regarding the specific events that led to her separation from the children on June 21, nor did she publicly state whether any court order or formal custody arrangement was involved.
She concluded by reiterating that her priority was the welfare and wellbeing of her children.
“My children deserve better than this,” she said.
“And as their mother, I cannot continue to remain silent while they are caught in the middle.
“I am asking for peace.
“I am asking for fairness.
“I am asking for Justice.
“Most importantly, I am asking for my children,” her statement partly read.
In her appeal, Okoro also named Leo Ekene Oketa, Joseph Ugochukwu Onwe, Hon. Patricia Onyemaechi Obila, Vivian Obila Akwuaka and Peace Egwu Obila.
(SaharaReporters)