A woman, Omoladun, has brought a divorce suit against her husband, Tijani, at Grade A Customary Court, sitting in Mapo, Ibadan, Oyo State, on account of lack of care, physical assault and domestic violence.
Omoladun stated that Tijani, apart from constantly neglecting her and their children, hardly stayed at home.
She explained that she daily bore the responsibility of feeding their children, inculcating morals in them and meeting their other needs.
She further said that on the few occasions the defendant was at home, he refused to allow her to have peace of mind.
According to her, they were either arguing or quarrelling over an issue, after which Tijani would descend on her with punches.
Omoladun told the court that Tijani later left home for four years without leaving any clue about his whereabouts.
She said she was later informed that the defendant had taken another wife who bore him a child.
Omoladun added that Tijani eventually returned home but went back to his old ways of physically assaulting her.
She said she had reached the end of her tether and prayed the court to dissolve their union.
She also sought custody of their children and asked the court to direct Tijani to take responsibility for their upkeep, with priority given to feeding, education and healthcare.
The plaintiff further sought an order restraining the defendant from harassing, threatening and interfering with her privacy.
Responding, Tijani agreed that the union should be dissolved.
He, however, accused Omoladun of being wicked and claimed that the milk of human kindness had run dry in her.
Tijani alleged that his wife had no affection for their children, citing an incident in which she allegedly used a hot knife to burn the buttocks of their seven-year-old son after he stole a piece of meat from the pot.
He also accused her of carelessness, saying another child’s foot got trapped in a bicycle spoke while she was taking him out.
According to him, the child’s foot remained permanently deformed as a result of the incident.
Delivering her judgment, the court president, Mrs O.E. Owoseni, held that there was no marriage to dissolve because no customary rites had been performed.
She also noted that the bride price had not been paid.
Owoseni, however, granted Omoladun custody of the children and directed Tijani to be responsible for their upkeep.
The court also ordered Tijani to desist from harassing, threatening or interfering with Omoladun’s privacy.
