HARARE - A Nigerian national who sneaked back into the country and married two Zimbabwean women within five days was last week sent packing after being convicted on bigamy and perjury charges.

Harare magistrate Tendai Mahwe last Friday ordered 46-year-old Henry Ihedoro to pay a $100 fine or face 20 days in prison, after which he was to be deported to Nigeria.

Ihedoro was once deported in 1998 while using the name Anayo George.

He later sneaked back into the country after changing his name to Ihedoro.

Ihedoro, who was residing in Harare’s high density suburb of Kuwadzana, married Asshla Madzivanzira on July 16 2004 under the Marriage Act Chapter 5:11 and he was issued with a marriage certificate at the Harare Magistrates’ Court.

The court heard that five days later he came back to the Harare Magistrates’ Court and legally married Rumbidzai Chitova under the same Marriage Act.

According to state papers, all the two marriages were solemnised by the same marriage officer identified as M Gofa.

The law under which Ihedoro married does not allow a person to be married to another woman during its subsistence, failure of which it calls for criminal charges.

Ihedoro married Chitova without cancelling his marriage to Madzivanzira as required by the law.

On the second charge, Ihedoro was accused of lying under oath when he entered into the second marriage.  — Tendai Kamhungira