“My husband is irresponsible and has presented himself a nuisance before our children and neighbours. He derives pleasure in fighting and beating me. He does not only beats me, he also beats anyone who dares to mediate in our affair.
“He had on many occasions beat our neighbours wives for having the guts to mediate in our differences and this had landed him in trouble because their husbands didn’t take it lightly with him.
“Thrice, they got him arrested by the police for beating their wives and he was locked up for days.
“He is indifferent to our children’s welfare; he’s not bothered if they eat or go to school.
“My husband is an okada rider and he is in the habit of coming home late. After closing for the day, he goes to the drinking joint to enjoy himself. There, he spends all the money he had made for the day. He gets drunk and returns home with an empty pocket.
“He normally returns home between 12:00 a.m and 1:00 a.m everyday and expects me to stay awake to attend to him.
“Anytime I go to bed before he returns, he goes irate and bangs, kicks or hits the door with hard object thereby waking up everyone that is asleep.
“This infuriates our landlord and neighbours who always threaten to get him arrested by the police.
“The next thing he does after I would have struggled out of bedto open the door for him is to pounce on me and beat me mercilessly. This has become his usual pattern of behaviour.
“I spend a fortune on medical treatment as a result of the wounds sustained from his frequent beatings.
“My lord, I don’t want to die suddenly; if I do, my husband will take another wife and my children will suffer.
”I, therefore, pray the court to dissolve our marriage and grant me custody of our children.”
These were the words of Mrs Taiwo Ajala, a hairdresser, who dragged her husband, Akinlolu Ajala before Mapo/Ojo Oba Court C Customary Court, Mapo, Ibadan, Oyo State, seeking the dissolution of their marriage.
Taiwo had sought for divorce on the account that her husband was irresponsible, feels less concerned about their children’s welfare and was always beating her.
The defendant, Mr Saheed Ajala, was served a court summon twice, but he refused to turn up in court.
The court president, Chief Ademola Odunade, after listening to the plaintiff, observed that her love for her husband has waned.
He, therefore, ruled that their marriage be dissolved and awarded the plaintiff custody of their three children.
Odunade, further ordered the defendant to pay a monthly allowance of N12,000 through the court for the children’s upkeep.