‘He divorced me on whatsApp’ – UK husband allegedly abandons wife in Nigeria after she funds his education

• UK-based Nigerian woman Alimat Abiola claims her husband persuaded her and their children to travel to Nigeria before returning to Britain without them on 26 October 2026.

• Abiola says her husband later sent her a divorce letter using WhatsApp’s view-once feature, claiming they had mutually agreed to end the marriage. She insists she never signed such an agreement.

• She alleges that her husband removed her and the children from his visa and blocked her after she tried to contact him about their immigration status and passports. These claims have not been independently verified.

The couple moved to the UK with their children in 2022. At the time, her husband was studying on a student visa, while Alimat and the children were listed as his dependants.

She said she shouldered much of the family's financial responsibilities because her husband's visa limited the number of hours he could work.

She said;

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However, she claimed their relationship began to deteriorate after he completed his studies and switched to a work visa. According to Alimat, he accused her of neglecting the home despite her contributions towards groceries, electricity bills and childcare.

She also alleged that he repeatedly called her ungrateful and reminded her that he was responsible for bringing her to the UK.

Alimat said the situation took a troubling turn when her husband proposed sending their daughter to boarding school in Nigeria to support her Islamic upbringing. He reportedly assured her that the child would return to the UK during school holidays.

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He later suggested that the entire family travel to Nigeria, arguing that Alimat's presence would help their daughter adjust to life at the school. She agreed to the trip.

According to her account, she and the children briefly visited her parents while her husband stayed behind. When she returned, however, she was unable to reach him. His phone was switched off, and he did not respond to her messages.

She said a motorcycle taxi rider was the first to inform her that her husband had left the previous day. A subsequent visit to his sister's home reportedly confirmed that his belongings were no longer there.

Two days later, Alimat contacted his workplace in the UK and was told that he had returned to Britain. The following morning, she received a series of WhatsApp messages in which he declared that their marriage was over.

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Alimat said she was left shocked when her husband subsequently sent her a document through WhatsApp's view-once feature, which allows recipients to open certain messages only once.

She recounted;

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She disputed the suggestion that the divorce had been mutually agreed, insisting that she had not signed any such document. She also said the message disappeared before she could finish reading it.

Alimat further alleged that her attempts to contact her husband about the children's passports, which she said remained with her, and their immigration status were unsuccessful. According to her, he eventually blocked her.

She said;

Her account raises questions about the circumstances surrounding the family's trip, the status of the marriage and the children's immigration arrangements. However, the allegations have not been independently verified, and the legal status of the reported divorce and any changes to their UK immigration status remain unclear.