Court Shuts Down 12-year Union, Awards Custody and ₦21.5m Repayment in High-Profile Divorce Ruling

A Benin High Court has formally terminated the marriage between journalist and media entrepreneur, Best Mbiere, known in public space as Best Orator, and her estranged husband, Michael Okechukwu Mbiere, ending a relationship that lasted over a decade.

In its ruling, the court held that the marriage had collapsed beyond remedy, describing the situation as an “irretrievable breakdown,” a legal ground that paved the way for the dissolution.

With the judgment, the court also resolved custody in favour of the petitioner, granting her full responsibility for the upbringing of the couple’s three children.

On the financial aspect of the case, the court ordered Michael Okechukwu Mbiere to return ₦21,500,000 to his former wife.

The sum was said to have been paid by her in efforts to clear debts allegedly connected to fraud allegations tied to his former workplace.

The decision brings closure to a long-running marital dispute, effectively separating both parties legally, financially, and domestically.
Court proceedings were reported by Ofure Anetor.