Enough is Enough! Dr. Chijioke Wilcox Wigwe Must Go
We the undersigned Nigerians and friends of Nigeria write to urge you, as the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, to act urgently to stop the perverse spectacle of domestic violence and marital discord involving Dr. Chijioke Wilcox Wigwe, Nigeria%u2019s High Commissioner to Kenya and the Seychelles. The world was recently shocked with grisly pictures of his bloodied wife Ms. Tess Iyi Wigwe on the pages of a Kenyan newspaper. The diplomat%u2019s wife and medical as well as law enforcement authorities in Kenya have stated that the trauma to the wife%u2019s body resulted from her pummeling by the ambassador. Dr. Wigwe and his embassy staff have not helped matters by their utterances since this event came to light. They have severally denied that Dr. Wigwe was involved in this horrific beating and instead have offered a most ludicrous alibi %u2013 the Ketchup defense. They claim that, for some perverse reason, Dr. Wigwe%u2019s wife became a Nollywood makeup artist and poured ketchup on her face to look like a bloodied victim. We believe that Dr. Wigwe is the real makeup artist here. If her injuries were feigned, the Kenyan doctors who treated her would have easily unmasked her ploy.
We cannot claim to know all the facts of the relationship between Dr. Wigwe and his wife, or what led up to the vicious physical assault on the woman. In this case, those facts do not matter. There are civilized ways of resolving any marital turbulence. The recourse to fisticuffs is never an option in any event. It is worse when the perpetrator is no ordinary person but the diplomatic representative of Nigeria.
Every enlightened person would recoil from the gruesome evidence and the scandalous circumstances that Dr. Wigwe has brought upon himself. His conduct has earned Nigeria the kind of unflattering international attention that we can ill afford. It is clear is that he has lost the ability to be a credible leader, one who is sworn to lead by good example.
We urge you, as a matter of urgency, to relieve Dr. Wigwe of his assignment, and revoke his diplomatic immunity to enable him to resolve his marital problems in a manner that would not further tarnish Nigeria%u2019s image. By stripping him of diplomatic immunity, you would also empower the Kenyan authorities to proceed with full investigation of this bizarre matter and possible prosecution in their judicial system if they determine that Kenyan laws were violated. There is no question that Dr. Wigwe should not be in a position of trust and responsibility.
Enough is enough. We therefore urge you, Mr. President, in taking decisive action to censure Dr. Wigwe, to also send a strong message to the world that your administration abhors marital and child abuse and is determined to take appropriate steps to institute structures and policies that are meant to confront spousal and child abuse as well as other such criminal acts. Enough is enough!
