A retiree, Kolawole Olaniran, has accused his wife, Iyabode, of taking away his three children without his consent, adding that efforts to reunite with them have been abortive.

The retiree of a textile company claimed that Iyabode packed out of his house in the Agbado area of Ogun State without any notice, saying efforts he made towards reconciling with his estranged wife did not yield any result.

He added that since she left in 2017, he had been denied access to the children.

Kolawola, who presently rides a commmercial motorcycle, told news personnel that one of his children, Bose, fell ill and requested to see him, alleging that Bose was discouraged from seeing him.

He said Iyabode allegedly claimed that a divine message she got from her church forbade their daughter from travelling.

According to him, “I was in Lagos when I received a call that my wife had left home. She left with my children and when we spoke, she said I should not look for her. But the surprising thing is that she also refused to allow me to see my children.

“Bose, my first child who is married, is currently sick. Bose told her mother-in-law that she wanted to see me, but my wife claimed that she received a divine message that Bose should not travel. But when Bose’s sickness became worse, Iyabode allowed Bose to travel from Ijebu Ife to Abule Oko in Ota, Ogun State, for spiritual healing.”

The Ekiti State indigene said he had not seen his first daughter since she was taken to her mother’s home town.

The 63-year-old affirmed that he heard from a family friend that Iyabode and a pastor in her church were becoming “too close.”

“But that is not my problem; I want my children. I want to see Bose. Now, I learnt that my wife had taken her from Ogun State to Osogbo, Osun State, for spiritual help.

“I am still alive; how will she be doing all that and I won’t be involved? Bose’s mother-in-law told me that Iyabode asked her not to tell me about their whereabouts. I want the government to please come to my aid,” he added.

Kolawole said he had reported his wife to the police in Lagos so that she would produce his children.

The landlord of Iyabode’s rented shop, Segun Ajagun, said he noticed that the pastor was a frequent visitor, adding that he challenged her on her relationship with the pastor.

He said, “When I observed that the pastor usually visited Iyabode at the shop, I asked who he was and she told me that they were relatives. Later, I heard that she had parked out of her husband’s house.”