Clayton Udo, a US-based Nigerian IT expert, has voiced concerns about the struggles many African men face in marriages abroad, particularly in the United States. Udo highlighted that numerous African men have been financially drained and left in precarious situations by their wives, leading some to flee or even tragically take their own lives due to emotional and financial distress.
This statement comes in light of the heartbreaking case of Dr. Ikenna Erinne, a Nigerian cardiologist who reportedly ended his life after losing a child support case against his ex-wife. The incident, which occurred on Sunday, January 26, has sparked widespread discussion about the challenges African men face in marital disputes abroad.
Dr. Erinne, from Anambra State, had been engaged in a long legal battle over custody of his children before his untimely death.
Udo addressed the issue by saying, “A lot of people don’t understand what is going on in this story, or what is happening in this country when it comes to African men. I can tell you that many men have had to run to places like Mexico or Canada to escape, while others have been left completely financially ruined—$200k, $300k debts placed on their heads by African women. These women post on TikTok or Facebook, smiling with their children and showing off the house they took from the man, leaving him with nothing.”
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He further expressed his concern that many African men have experienced similar outcomes, with hundreds of deaths over the past decade attributed to these circumstances.
Sharing his personal experience, Udo explained, “When I went through my own divorce, being in IT, I had recruiters who worked with me. My ex-wife went to each recruiter, reporting me to all of them, then turned around and told them that she had finished her own IT course. By the time I called one of the recruiters, they refused to work with me, saying they had now signed her up. And because of the divorce, there was a conflict of interest.”
Udo also accused some women of fabricating abuse claims to gain an upper hand in legal battles, stressing that many African men have lost everything—homes, children, and their dignity—because of such tactics.
“What they do is lie, claiming verbal and physical abuse. A lot of them want to overshadow you, to become greater than you. Be careful who you walk through life with. They might like you now because you have money and a car, but once you bring them into your life, they will want to take everything you have. They want to take and become you.”
He warned African men to be cautious in their marital decisions, suggesting that some women marry men as a way to escape poverty, only to later strip them of their wealth and possessions.
“In her mind, she wants to climb out of the poverty she came from. She’ll take everything from you—your house, your children. The number of men in the African community here who have had their children turned against them, secretly or openly, is staggering. They’ll take your house, take everything from you. Most men are reduced to nothing, though they won’t speak out about it. They become submissive.”
