Many Nigerians have rallied around Enugu woman Gertrude Ngwu after a video of her crying over her inability to have a child at her husband’s chieftaincy coronation went viral.
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Enugu woman says years of mockery over childlessness forced her to leave her husband’s home.
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Nigerians donate millions, gift wrappers to Enugu woman after viral video captures alleged humiliation at husband’s coronation.
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Woman’s husband breaks silence, denies claims that he and his second wife mocked his childless first wife.
The video, which captured her alongside her co-wife, sparked widespread sympathy after the children of the other wives showered their mother with cash and different wrappers but apparently left Gertrude out of the gesture.
In the footage, the master of ceremonies encouraged guests to extend the same generosity to Gertrude, but his appeal appeared to go unanswered.
The incident prompted an outpouring of support for the woman, with several Nigerians expressing sympathy and some even offering to adopt her.
On Friday, November 6, 2026, well-wishers trooped to Gertrude’s home in Enugu State to celebrate her and reassure her that she was not alone.
The woman received a grand reception, complete with live band performances, music, dancing and other festivities. Guests also presented her with several pieces of clothing, including wrappers, and donated millions of naira in support of the celebration.
In an interview with BBC Igbo, Gertrude opened up about the alleged mistreatment she had endured in her husband’s home because of her inability to have a child.
She explained that the repeated mockery and disrespect eventually took a toll on her emotional well-being and forced her to return to her family.
“Because I have no child, they have been mocking and disrespecting me.
“My husband and I have been living well, and for a year, we did not have any child, but we were living happily. When he wanted to marry another woman, he did not tell me. He also stopped taking the medicine we were told to take for childbearing.
“I would stay together with them at home and all of them kept malice with me. They were not ready to talk to me. I was depressed. That was why I left and came here to stay.
“My husband never told me about his Ozo title. I was told that I needed to be present at the occasion, but I insisted that he did not invite, and as such, I would not attend the occasion,” she said.
However, Gertrude’s husband has disputed her account, offering a different version of events surrounding their marriage and their struggle to have children.
In his response, he claimed that they had tried to conceive for years before undergoing medical tests. He also alleged that the test results raised concerns about possible previous abortions.
The husband denied stopping the medication prescribed to them, insisting that he remained committed to having a child with Gertrude.
He further claimed that he informed her about his intention to marry another woman because he was the only son in his family and wanted a child to continue the family lineage.
According to him, he raised the possibility of taking another wife twice before he eventually began searching for one. He admitted that he deliberately withheld the development from Gertrude initially because he feared she might disrupt the marriage.
He also rejected the allegation that his second wife and her children mocked Gertrude over her childlessness.
The husband said he felt people should have heard his account and that of his second wife before drawing conclusions from the viral video.
Gertrude’s co-wife also denied the allegation that she mocked her over her inability to have a child, insisting that she had never treated her with such disrespect.
“Heaven and the ground I am marching on should judge me the way they like if I have ever mocked the woman (Gertrude Ngwu) for her childlessness,” she said.
