Maltese wife left Nigerian husband 'to seek refuge'

A mother-of-three, whose Nigerian husband is in detention facing deportation after she left their matrimonial home, did not dump him on a whim but to seek refuge and safety for her children, she told The Times yesterday.

The 29-year-old, who preferred not be named to avoid more public attention, said she had been living at one of the homes of Appoġġ for more than three months due to what she has claimed was abusive behaviour by her husband Paul James Jibiri.

"He has been in detention for three weeks. But I have been locked in this home for much longer, unable to go out," she said.

She also claimed she did not file a report against him to the Citizenship and Expatriate Department, as alleged by his lawyers in The Sunday Times in the report Nigerian Father In Detention After Maltese Wife Dumps Him. The police took action against him on their own accord after he did not respond to a letter about his living situation, she said.

"It would be easier for me if he were to stay in the country and give me maintenance," she said, explaining that she helped the police in their investigation when required.

The two, whose children are aged between one and five, are undergoing separation proceedings. However, an appeals board will today be deciding whether to deport Mr Jibiri.

The issue was highlighted in The Sunday Times because Mr Jibiri's lawyers, Victor Scerri and Therese Comodini Cachia, argued the law should not allow for a man to be deported when children were involved.

Mr Jibiri came to Malta legally, found a stable job and got married three years ago. After the authorities found out he was not living with his wife any longer, a deportation order was issued and he was placed in the Safi detention centre.

Although the couple is married, they have not lived together for the required five years, so he does not have citizenship yet.

Dr Comodini Cachia said the action violated the man's right to family life and his children's right to see their father. It also means he cannot have fair separation or annulment proceedings since they will go on without him while he is in detention or deported to his country.

Dr Scerri described him as an exemplary father and worker.