UK: Briton Alleges Nigerian Husband Disappeared After Spouse Visa, Seeks Divorce

A 68-year-old British grandmother has spoken publicly about the breakdown of her marriage to her 31-year-old Nigerian husband, alleging that he disappeared after moving to the United Kingdom on a spouse visa and left her struggling to finalise their divorce. Dawn Otewell, from Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, said she met Bright Emokpae, from Edo State, on Tinder and Plenty of Fish in 2021, when she was feeling lonely. According to Dawn, Bright initially introduced himself as "Brian Thomas", claiming to be a professional in his 30s. She later discovered, she said, that his real name was Bright and that he was a much younger fashion student from Benin, Nigeria. Despite the revelation, Dawn said their regular video calls and his affectionate messages drew her closer to him. About eight months after they met online, she travelled to Northern Cyprus, where Bright was living, and the pair married at a registry office in Nicosia on March 22, 2022. Follow us on WhatsApp | LinkedIn for the latest headlines Bright subsequently returned to Nigeria to apply for a UK spouse visa. When it was approved about a year later, Dawn said she welcomed him at Heathrow. However, she alleged that their relationship deteriorated soon afterwards. She accused him of becoming distant, repeatedly asking her for money, refusing to contribute to household expenses and sending money to Nigeria. The couple separated in October 2023 but reconciled about six months later after Dawn received a £63,000 compensation settlement following what she described as a botched medical procedure. She said Bright later left again, shortly after she returned from a £2,000 Caribbean cruise with her brother before Christmas 2024. Dawn said she has not spoken to him for months after he blocked her on social media. She believes he may now be living in Scotland and running an online clothing business. "He's done a runner and is refusing to sign the divorce papers because I believe he wants to cling on to his spouse visa," she said. Dawn, a grandmother of seven, said she is particularly worried about her children's inheritance because she has not made a will and remains legally married. She is reportedly receiving assistance from Citizens Advice in trying to locate Bright and serve him with divorce papers. Bright's account, however, differs from hers; a report citing The Sun said he claimed he had already signed the divorce papers, although he reportedly declined to provide evidence. Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy . We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. Dawn's allegations have not been independently established, and there is no evidence presented in the reports proving that Bright entered the marriage specifically to obtain UK immigration status. Read the original article on Leadership . AllAfrica publishes around 600 reports a day from more than 90 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals , representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica . To address comments or complaints, please Contact us . AllAfrica is a voice of, by and about Africa - aggregating, producing and distributing 600 news and information items daily from over 90 African news organizations and our own reporters to an African and global public. We operate from Cape Town, Dakar, Abuja, Johannesburg, Nairobi and Washington DC. Get the latest in African news delivered straight