…He must give our child N30,000 monthly for food if he’s insisting on divorce —Wife
A man, Abass, has approached Grade A Customary Court, Court 2, sitting at Mapo, Ibadan, Oyo State, to seek that it dissolve the union between him and his wife, Bolaji, on the grounds of disobedience, adultery and threat to his life by the latter.
Abass stated that Bolaji was troublesome and made their home non-conducive for him and his first wife.
Abass also said that he almost lost his job after Bolaji extended her unruly behaviour to his office, where she came to fight him and turned the whole premises upside down.
According to him, the timely intervention of the police saved the situation.
The plaintiff added further that Bolaji sent his first wife packing, while he also moved out of their house a few months after this when it became obvious she was bent on snuffing life out of him.
Abass explained that Bolaji threw caution in the air immediately he moved out of the house and started bringing her lovers into the house.
These men, he stated, did spend the night with her.
The plaintiff said he went home early one morning and saw the defendant seeing one of them off.
Abass told the court he has had enough of his wife’s atrocities and thus prayed for the dissolution of their union.
According to the plaintiff, the defendant took to threatening him since he dragged her to court.
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Bolaji refused that their union be dissolved, giving the welfare of the only child produced by their union as excuse.
Abass in his testimony said, “Bolaji and I met in 2019 and I paid her bride price.
“I already had a wife when I met her, and the three of us were living together after she moved in with me.
“Bolaji started misbehaving early in our marriage.
“She was always at loggerheads with my first wife; she showed no regard for her and sought every opportunity to fight her.
“Any time I tried to caution her, she would flare up and accuse me of taking sides with her rival.
“Peace deserted us in the home because Bolaji made it hell to live in.
“Bolaji fought me and my first wife on regular basis.
“I almost lost my job when she came to my office to fight me.
“It took the intervention of the policemen before sanity could be restored.
“The embarrassment and shame he exposed me to have not left me till date.
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“Bolaji made my first wife life so miserable that she packed her belongings and moved out of the house.
“I saw hell in the few months I was left alone with Bolaji; she almost snuffed life out of me.
“I had no choice than to move out our house.
“Bolaji threw caution in the air immediately I left our home.
“She started dating other men and even had the audacity to bring them into our home.
“These men normally spent the night with her.
“I decided to visit home one faithful day very early in the morning and I saw her seeing one of her lovers off.
“My lord, I can no longer tolerate Bolaji’s loose and indecent lifestyle.
“She now threatens and swears to make my life miserable and unbearable.
“I pray this honourable court to rule that we are no longer husband and wife.
“I in addition request an order restricting her from threatening me.”
Bolaji responded, “My lord, he lied that he paid my bride price.
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“We did not hold any marital rites, neither was I handed over to him by my parents.
“I do not agree to divorce because of our child’s welfare.
“I have a child from my first marriage and do not want our child’s fate to be like that of my first child.
“But if the court eventually dissolves our marriage, I plead that it mandates my husband to give me N30, 000 every month for our child’s feeding.”
The court president, Mrs O.E. Owoseni, gave her judgement after she had heard both parties state that the plaintiff did not cross-examine the defendant in respect of non-payment of bride price and subsequent handing over to him as wife.
Owoseni stated that he has by implication admitted that he did not pay bride price nor was handed over to him as wife.
She added that the ingredients validating marriage under customary law was absent, which meant that they were never married, but merely cohabiting.
Consequently, there was no marriage to be dissolved.
Owoseni further stated that since the plaintiff was no longer interested in cohabiting with the defendant, both parties were, therefore, ordered to go their different ways.
She also explained that based on the unchallenged evidence that the defendant was fond of fighting and causing trouble, the defendant was restrained from harassing, threatening, disturbing and or interfering with the plaintiff’s private life.
The defendant was granted custody of their child, while the plaintiff was given reasonable access to him.
The plaintiff was ordered to pay N30,000 monthly to the defendant for their child’s upkeep.
