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A Nigerian man has shared a heartbreaking account of the emotional and financial strain he has endured for four years after his mother-in-law moved into his home shortly after his marriage, a situation he says has robbed him of peace and stability.
Speaking anonymously, the man revealed that his troubles began immediately after he married his wife, whom he met during their university days. According to him, they dated for six years before getting married after she became pregnant with their first son. However, the marriage came with an unexpected condition from his wife’s mother.
The man explained that his wife was raised alone by her mother, who insisted that she could not allow her only child to live alone with a husband. As a result, she demanded to move into the couple’s home to “monitor” the marriage and ensure her daughter was treated well. Despite being in her early 60s and healthy, she made it clear that any man who married her daughter would also have to accept her presence.
Out of love for his wife, the man agreed. Just three days after their wedding, his mother-in-law moved in.
“At first, everything was peaceful,” he said. “But after our second son was born, everything changed. It now feels like I am married to two women.”
He alleged that his mother-in-law began making excessive demands, both emotionally and financially. According to him, whenever he buys a gift for his wife, he must buy the exact same item for her mother or give her money to shop. If he buys a phone or clothes for his wife, the same must be done for the mother-in-law.
He disclosed that he currently pays his mother-in-law a monthly allowance of ₦200,000, while his own mother in the village survives on just ₦50,000. Despite this imbalance, he said his wife sees nothing wrong with the situation.
Whenever he raises concerns, he claims his wife reports him to her mother. This often leads to his mother-in-law packing her belongings, taking his wife and their two sons, and leaving the house. She reportedly tells him that if he does not want her around, she will leave with “everything that belongs to her.”
The man said he usually ends up begging for days and spending large sums of money on apology gifts just to convince them to return home.
He also described how his relationship with his own family has suffered. According to him, his wife does not allow his relatives to stay in their home for more than three days. Even his own mother must seek permission before visiting.
The last time his mother visited, he said it ended in humiliation. His wife and mother-in-law allegedly picked fights with her, and when he tried to defend his mother, his mother-in-law again threatened to leave with his children.
“I felt so ashamed,” he said. “I couldn’t protect my own mother. She left in tears and has never returned.”
Since then, he said he can only visit his mother in the village, but she is so hurt that she refuses to see him. He now sends her supplies through a village elder, while his siblings have stopped visiting entirely to avoid family drama.
Despite everything, the man said he still loves his wife, especially because they have two sons together and she was once a kind and supportive partner. However, he admitted that the situation has drained him emotionally.
“I am exhausted,” he said. “I have reached a point where I am actually scared to go home after work. My house no longer feels like a place of rest. I no longer have peace.”
The story has sparked conversations online about boundaries in marriage, the role of in-laws, and the emotional toll of unresolved family control within homes.
