He could have been brutal but he decided to solve it in a diplomatic way. I guess he deserve a nobel prize. A Soldier named Okello Peters Izuchukwu shared on his facebook post.

Most time when I see people, especially women make certain odd life choices (like not wanting kids or not getting married), I find it hard to be judgemental...

I have been in 'life's street' long enough to know that most people, especially women, go through hell in life to survive.

While I was serving in Onitsha.

I was on duty at the Cantonment Gate one morning, when one tired looking women approached me. .

I perceived her stench from afar.

My first thought was that she's mad..

And if you know how much I fear mad people you will understand why my immediate reaction was to jump up from where I sat to get a stick...

A close look showed that aside the child walking with her, she still had one tied to her back.

'Oga biko, ewena iwe, achorom ifu gi (Oga please, don't be angry I want to see you)"

She sounded sane....

My mood took a more relaxed turn..

I approached her, and had to deal with the stench alone, not fear again.

"Madam, what is the problem?" I said to her, hurrying her to speak up as it was still working hours, and we were standing by the gate...

She apologized for my time before quietly explaining her problems..

She's married to a man from one of the Eastern states..

The man who's a Vulcanizer by the road side close to the house.

Threw her and her two daughters out of the house for 3 days now, and took her son with him.

She had no one or anywhere to run to...

I couldn't wait to get the details of what she was saying as droplets of tears were already escaping her weak eyes.....

I asked if she had eaten..

She smiled and said food is not her problem, she had used the last 50naira she had to get Okpa for her daughters the previous day, she only needed where her kids would put their heads at night.

She was afraid of 'bad boys'

I was weak....

I had no money on me..

I took her to a canteen opposite the barracks and told the lady there who was my friend to give them whatever they want.....

I rushed to the house and took little cash and returned to the canteen.

I was doing all these things impulsively...

I was confused.

I got a Keke Napep...

Told her to lead me to where we could find her husband.

We got to the spot...

One pumping machine and some old tyres arranged in a semi-circle....

A man who was looking so dirty lay between those tyres and was snoring....

We stood for over 2 minutes trying to get his attention....

He was lost in deep slumber..

One of his neighbour's came out from his shop after he noticed us failed to wake him...

He forcefully shook him up....

'oñugo mmanya (he is drunk)" he said as we watched the man stagger up....

The man who had combined smell of alcohol and mouth odour, on sighting his wife, quickly jumped up from his sitting position...

'Ogini k'ineme ebea (What are you doing here)?" He was shouting as he made to manhandle the woman.

He obviously did not see me...

Because, as his hand that was stretching towards the woman's body was obstructed by mine and returned to his chest with a shove, he almost died from shock when he looked up and saw me on uniform....

In his weakened state....

"Ije kpolu'm ndi Army(you went and called soldiers for me)" was all he was able to mutter from his mouth filled with thick white substance.....

"Gurafunun sah!" He greeted me, cleaning his mouth....

All the conversations we had were in Igbo.

Hearing me speak Igbo, the man became more relaxed...

Even though I had deep pity for the woman for having to put up with this kind of a person for years...

I still had to be diplomatic, to ensure that I at least negotiate to her favor...

I asked the man why he had to throw his wife and two daughters out of the house, while keeping the son to himself.

I also asked if he knew how his wife and daughters were feeding for the past 3 days.....

He answered in the negative and rather told me how the woman is a very stubborn woman that he wants to teach her a lesson...

I looked at the failure of a person who is teaching somebody's daughter a lesson, and sighed.

He further explained how he had warned the wife, to stop responding to the greetings of one of their male neighbours and she refused.

That was his major reason for throwing her out.

I requested that they take me to the house....

Since the Keke guy was still there, we all rode to the house...

A typical Face-Me-I-Face-You.

Fortunately, for us, the neighbor in question was in ..

He was the person who was able to explain in details the level of hardship the woman and her kids undergo in the hands of the man....

Even before he threw her out, if she as little as wakes up late from sleep in the morning after a very tiring night, she would risk going hungry for that day..

Each time a neighbor intervenes and tried to assist the woman, the person became and enemy to the man, while the woman pay dearly for it with either starvation or beating...

I looked at the alcoholic of a man...

I felt like strangling him...

But, I still had to think about the woman...

She ain't going back to the barracks with me..

I had to still apply logic....

I called the man aside.....

I talked with him for over 30minutes...

The implications of his actions, and the possibility of the government taking over the welfare of his family and denying him the opportunity of being a husband and a father....

I told him it's something I could make happen if he doesn't do the right thing...

After some unreasonable protests, he was sober....

I called the neighbor and spoke to him aside on the need to keep an eye on them and also keep me informed should anything go wrong.

That was before I brought him and blasted him in the presence of the man...

I told him not to greet or receive greetings from the woman...

The man who was initially reluctant took his daughters with him into the one room apartment and told his wife to follow him...

I collected his phone number and was calling them everyday for more than a week after left the house....

And to my joy, things turned out very well after that day.

What I saw in that movement is not what one Facebook post could capture....

I will just advice that:

Whether one is marrying up or down, the most important thing is to marry right...

Don't sell yourself to any mad man in the name of marriage...

You will just ruin your existence.

© Okello Peters

Wise soldier.

Whether you marry up or down, marry right.

Do not sell yourself to any mad man in the name of marriage:

You will just ruin your existence.

After marriage, we can only teach you how to navigate the madness and only advise separation in extreme cases.

One hour before marriage, you can still back out.

After you say 'I do', the field of play is different.

Nice noble deeds