A businesswoman identified as Asiata Oladejo, has told a Mapo Grade A Customary Court, in Ibadan, Oyo state to dissolve her marriage on grounds that her estranged husband, Abidemi, was unreliable and abandoned her and their children during a robbery attack. Oladejo made the submission in her counter argument in the divorce suit filed by her husband.
”My Lord, I am yet to recover from the shock I experienced when a gang of thieves raided our house. He hid in the toilet, leaving me to pant in front of the armed robbers, who terrorised the entire residents of the house.
My lord, when the thieves arrived at around 1am. on that night, my husband was nowhere to be found to defend the children and I.Unknown to me, he hid in the toilet. He only came out when they had gone. My husband wanted us to continue living in that house,” she said.
Akintayo granted custody of the three children to Oladejo, adding that she was in the best position to cater for them. “Both petitioner and respondent shall be responsible for the education and other welfare of the children. In addition, Abidemi shall pay a monthly feeding allowance of N20,000 for the children’s upkeep. Both of you must maintain peace and order,” Akintayo held. She, however, noted that there was no marriage to dissolve between the couple, because their union could not be considered as a marriage. She stated that their marriage was not in accordance with laid down customary laws of Nigeria.
Abidemi in his defense said that his wife was ill-tempered.
”She comes to my shop unannounced to torment me. It is true that I hid in the toilet when armed robbers attacked our house. All the attempts made to bring her back home failed, because she said she was unnecessarily scared,” he said He prayed the court to grant him custody of the three children because he had been a responsible father. Delivering judgment, the President of the Court, Mrs S. M. Akintayo, granted the order restraining Oladejo from threatening, harassing and interfering in the private life of Abidemi.
