A 68-year-old British woman, Dawn Otewell, has raised concerns after her Nigerian husband, Bright Emokpae, 36, reportedly disappeared after joining her in the United Kingdom.
Dawn, from Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, married Emokpae, who is from Edo State, Nigeria, in 2022 when he was 27 and she was 64.
The grandmother of seven said she met Bright on dating apps in 2021 while she was lonely and depressed. She alleged that he initially introduced himself as Brian Thomas, a professional in his thirties, before later revealing that he was a fashion student in his mid-twenties from Benin, Nigeria.
Despite the 36-year age difference and the initial deception about his identity and age, Dawn said she fell in love with him after their regular video calls and eventually travelled to northern Cyprus, where he was living on a student visa.
The couple got married at a registry office in Nicosia on March 22, 2022. Their wedding certificate showed that Bright was a 27-year-old student, while Dawn was a 64-year-old single housewife.
Dawn said she returned to Dewsbury after spending about a month in Cyprus, while Bright returned to Nigeria to process a spouse visa to join her in Britain. The visa was eventually approved about a year later, allowing him to travel to the UK.
According to Dawn, problems began after Bright arrived in England. She said she helped him settle in, while her brother, Rory, 72, helped him secure a manufacturing job at a door firm.
She alleged that Bright later became cold and distant and made frequent financial demands, including claims that he was in debt from their wedding. She also accused him of sending money to Nigeria while refusing to contribute financially to household expenses.
Dawn said the couple separated in October 2023 but reconciled six months later after she received a £63,000 payout following a botched prolapse operation at an NHS hospital.
She said she later regretted taking Bright back, believing he may have been interested in her money.
The relationship remained unstable, and shortly before Christmas 2024, Dawn went on a £2,000 Caribbean cruise with her brother. She said Bright became angry because he believed she should have used the money to settle his debts.
According to Dawn, Bright left the home after she returned from the cruise and has not returned since.
She told The Sun UK that she had not spoken to him since he blocked her on social media about eight months earlier. She also said she had been trying to locate him so that she could serve him with divorce papers.
Dawn alleged that Bright was refusing to sign the divorce papers because he wanted to retain his spouse visa. She said she believed he had moved to Scotland, where he appeared to have started an online clothing business advertised on social media.
She said the situation had become particularly worrying because of her health and her concern about what could happen to her assets if she died while still legally married to Bright.
Dawn, who said she had not written a will, expressed concern that Bright could potentially have a claim to some of her possessions, including jewellery, cash and furniture.
She also said she had been receiving assistance from Citizens Advice as efforts continued to establish Bright’s whereabouts.
Dawn said the situation had been an “absolute nightmare” and that she wanted the marriage legally ended so she could move on with her life.
She also warned others to exercise caution when entering relationships and marriages, particularly when they involve people from other countries, based on her own experience.
Dawn said she believed Bright had never genuinely loved her and had primarily wanted to obtain a visa to live in the UK.
She said her experience had left her feeling used and that she hoped others would learn from what happened to her.
