A hairdresser, Suliat Akintayo stated before Oja Oba/Mapo Court C Customary Court, Mapo, Ibadan, Oyo State that:“My husband is never interested in meeting my physical, financial and emotional needs, but gets irate any time a man admires me or pays me compliment. He will drag me into the room, lock the door and descend on me with blows. He will sometimes hit me with any object within his reach and won’t leave me until I have wounds all over.”
Suliat has sought court action against her husband, Idris Akintayo, a butcher, whom she described as uncaring, negligent, jealous and irrational.
She further told the court that he had abandoned his responsibility towards their children.
She thus prayed the court to dissolve their marriage and grant her custody of their three children.
“We got married 10 years ago and had lived in three rented apartments. His family house was the fourth. We were moving from one house to another because our landlords couldn’t stand my husband’s harsh ways. He was fond of beating me.
“Apart from being a hairdresser, I also sell palm oil. A particular man in the neighbourhood often patronise me.
“My husband was around one of the days he came to purchase some liters of palm oil from me. They exchanged pleasantries and he went his way.
“After he had left, my husband accused me of fleeting with my customer. He said he saw him make pass at me.
“He dragged me into the room, locked the door and beat me. He didn’t leave me until I was bleeding as a result of the wounds he inflicted on me.
“At another time a man killed a snake in front of our house. We all rushed out to see it. My husband and I stood together throughout the time the snake was burnt.
“As we both walked back into our room, he gave me a slap. Before I could utter a word, he gave me another slap and started hitting me.
“He said he suspected that something must be going on between me and the man who killed the snake due to the way we were interacting. He added that the man was winkling at me, “she told the court.
“He works in Lagos as a butcher and spends two to three weeks there in a month.
“He would leave for Lagos without leaving feeding allowance for the children and was not interested in their education.
“The last time he set eyes on our twins was when they were five months old. They are now five years old.
“Aside feeding and clothing the children, I have been responsible for their education.
“He doesn’t know what school the children are attending, their classes and how much they are paying, “she added.
“His father was always mediating in our issue and always appealing to me, but his mother never cared.
“I must state that his mother is behind the crisis in our home. Any time he paid her a visit, he would not eat whatever food I prepare for him and would beat me silly.
“I moved out of his house because I didn’t want to die before my time, “the plaintiff said.
Idris while responding stated that he acceded to his wife’s plea of divorce, but debunked all his wife had said.
“I have never for once shed my responsibility as a father. I give the children either N4,000 or N5,000 as feeding allowance.
“She denied me access to the children the moment she moved out of my house. All efforts to see them proved abortive. I later learnt she had taken them to Oyo.
“She is a slut and doesn’t have time for the children. I, therefore, plead that the court grant me custody of our three children so as to give them adequate care.
Giving judgment, the court president, Chief Ademola Odunola, ruled that their marriage is dissolved and granted custody of the three children to the plaintiff.
He ordered the defendant to pay N10, 000 monthly as the children’s feeding allowance and be responsible for their education and health care.
Odunade added that the defendant make a refund of the amount the plaintiff had spent on their children’s education to her.