…Says Husband Hospitalized, In Critical Condition
By Jimmy Jackson
On Sunday, September 18, 2022, the world was greeted with a sad news which surfaced online about a lady, Barr. Claret Sonnie Bassey who was involved in a ghastly motor accident along the Murtàla Mohammed Highway in Calabar, the Cross River State capital.
A facebook user, identified as *Stephen Okposin* had shared a post, suggesting that a middle aged lady was involved in a ghastly accident along the busy Calabar highway while chasing her husband who was in the company of a female friend, suspected to be his lover.
The post alledged that Barr. Claret had earlier confronted her husband within the premises of the Calabar mall and after a brief argument engaged her husband in a hot pursuit after he sped off.
The story which became a topical issue among residents of Calabar and beyond was also published by some online news platforms *(Not The Parchment)*
The Federal Road Safety Corp in the state also confirmed the case of an accident along the highway on then said date and the death of a lady. But contrary to several online reports, findings by this paper suggests that the story may have been altogether not true.
While no one has so far been able to confirm how Mrs Claret got information that her husband was in company of a female friend. This reporter decided to embark on a fact finding mission to unravel the true story behind the news.
The first port of call was a close friend of over 15 years to the family who explained how deeply in love the couple were.
The source who did not want his name in print said,
“They were together in the university of Calabar where they studied law. Infact, Barr Sonnie Bassey and myself were classmates in the law school in Enugu. And even in the law school, late Claret and Sonnie were deeply in love. We use to see them as role models as long as love affair was concern. They loved themselves so much.
“So when they left law school, they just decided to consumate their union in holy matrimony”
On the issue of domestic violence insinuated by several online user, the source said “never at any point did those two engage in physical fighting”
Our findings took us to where the late Mrs Claret worked, a private law firm located along the IBB way in Calabar. Some of her colleagues who preferred anonymity spoke about the person of the deceased.
“She was like a mother to all of us here. If anyone had issues, she will be the one to call all parties together and settle. One thing I know she did was that she loved her family so much. She will always talk about her children and husbad. She never showed any form of violence so I am shock where people got the story of her being a violent person which was why the husband absconded on siting her” the sources said.
Husband of the deceased who this paper can confirm is currently at the intensive care unit at an undisclosed military hospital in Calabar, is said to have suffered stroke last year.
“Perhaps, because of the stroke he suffered last year, that made him to immediately fall ill after the sad incident last Sunday” a source within the hospital told our reporter.
Late Mrs Claret was said to have rejected the offer of working with her husband having been called to the Barr before him
Barr. Sonnie hails from Nsit Atai LGA in Akwa Ibom State and is said to have graduated from the Nigerian Law School, Enugu campus in 2008.
