Viral Malaysian Woman Claims Abandonment by Husband in NTB, Provincial Government Responds
The story of a Malaysian woman who claimed to have been abandoned by her husband from Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), has gone viral on social media in both Malaysia and Indonesia. The woman, named Norida Akmal Ayob, prompted the NTB Provincial Government to issue a clarification.
According to Norida’s account circulating on social media, she was abandoned by her husband for 18 years in Lombok. Norida even claimed to have lived as a street sweeper during her marriage in Benjelo Hamlet, Ubung Village, Jonggat District, Central Lombok.
NTB Provincial Government spokesperson Ahsanul Khalik firmly stated that Norida’s claims of abandonment do not fully correspond with the facts on the ground. According to Aka, as Ahsanul Khalik is known, the provincial government conducted an investigation in Benjelo Hamlet, Ubung Village, Jonggat District, Central Lombok, where Norida had lived with her husband, Badi.
Married in Thailand
The NTB Provincial Government obtained statements from Agus, the head of Benjelo Hamlet, and Mastaal, the head of Ubung Village. According to the local hamlet and village heads, Norida married Badi in Thailand in 2005. Badi is a resident of Benjelo Hamlet, Ubung Village. After the marriage, Norida gave birth to their first child in Malaysia.
Two years later, Norida along with her husband and child returned to Lombok following the death of Badi’s father in 2007. Norida and Badi then decided to move to Sumatra to work on palm oil plantations.
Norida gave birth to their second child in Sumatra in 2008. The family subsequently resettled in Lombok from 2021, whilst Badi worked in the Lombok-Java freight expedition sector.
“Norida’s children received formal education. The first child completed junior secondary school in Sumatra and went on to senior secondary school at SMA Negeri 2 Jonggat, whilst the second child attended SMP Negeri 3 Jonggat and continued to SMK Negeri 1 Jonggat,” said Aka on Tuesday (17 February 2026).
Norida’s first child was even accepted into the Biology Education programme at the University of Mataram in 2024 and received a Bidikmisi scholarship, although they did not continue their studies due to the family’s circumstances following the divorce.
Norida and her husband officially divorced on 24 June 2024 after it emerged that Badi had remarried. However, during the divorce proceedings, Norida received Rp 20 million from her former husband to assist with the costs of returning to Malaysia.
“Based on the data we have received, it is highly inaccurate to describe this as 18 years of abandonment, particularly given that Norida also received financial assistance for her return journey after the divorce,” Aka emphasised.