Mercy Aigbe, husband in war of words as divorce gets messier

When news broke towards the end of last week that the marriage of star actress, Mercy Aigbe to Lanre Gentry was about to hit the rock, even with her pictures showing her battered face all over the blogosphere, many people hoped that it was a publicity stunt.

Estranged husband of Nollywood actress and businesswoman, Lanre Gentry, revealed last Friday that he deposited over N9million for his estranged wife, Mercy Aigbe’s 40th birthday, also claimed he never beat her but she was one that looking for way to quit the marriage and move in with another man.

Speaking in an online portal, BON, Gentry is quoted as saying:

”I worshipped her and I have deposited N8m at Benefit Motors to buy her a N16million Range Rover Evoque for her 40th birthday. I have also paid N1.2m for a hall opposite Sheraton Hotel to celebrate her big, but she has her eyes on other things”.

However, the actress has refuted the claims made by her estranged husband – she, in an online post lamented that her years of bitterness in the marriage was now threatened by alleged infidelity and battery.

Aigbe wrote in the post:

“Dear Lanre Gentry, it breaks my heart that I have to do this but as it is, you have left me with no choice. I had sleepless night because I just couldn’t comprehend why someone I loved, someone with whom I have a child will be hell bent on destroying me, I just cannot comprehend it.

“I read with tears in my eyes all the LIES you fabricated against me, LIES you feel will justify your inhumane act, LIES you feel will gain you public sympathy and LIES calculated to bring my person to public opprobrium…

“I am mentally unstable; that you have caught me with different men,; that I do not take care of my parents, that a man rented an apartment for me..lies all lies… “Dear hubby, I challenge you to back your claims with proof. Hmmmm, Lanre you forget quickly!….,

you forget how I have laboured and stood by you all these years, even though all what I was getting from you was constant beating, harassment, threat to my life and threat to destroy my image if I dare leave you.

“You must prove all your allegations otherwise God knows I am going to add another lawsuit to the one on ground. “Although my team has been pleading with me to stay silent all this while, I have come to realise that you want to ride on my keeping mum.”

Meanwhile, Lagos State Commissioner for Women and Poverty Alleviation (WAPA), Lola Akande, yesterday dispelled allegation of infidelity as reasons for battering of Aigbe by husband, saying no husband had any reason to maltreat women.

The commissioner, who insisted that the state government was taking up the matter to serve as deterrent to others, said Lagos men should not beat their wives or else they would be prosecuted by the government.

She said:

“As for Mercy Aigbe’s husband, it is very bad. We are taking the matter up. It is going to be state against him. And other men, who beat their wives, we will stand against them.”

 Saturday Beats reached out to the actress, a source from her camp who spoke on the condition of anonymity said that it was laughable that Gentry would claim that the actress has mental problems. The source said that the estranged husband turned the actress to his cash cow.

“It is a big lie, the truth is that Lanre Gentry has been living off Mercy’s hard earned money. In fact, Mercy is his walking ATM. He does not do anything and to make matters worse, he does not pay the children’s school fees. The man is a mad man. A court paper was served on him on Wednesday and when they took it to his office, he claimed that he was Lanre Gentry’s personal assistant, unknown to him that his picture was taken while he was signing for the document he received. He is just shooting himself in the foot.

“He knows within himself that Mercy can afford to get a house in Lekki if she wishes to do so. He is just a pathetic liar and he should find another angle. Mercy does not have mental illness and if he wants to dent her image, he should look for another angle to do so,” the source said.
culled from New Telegraph/Punch