My husband beat my mom, broke her arm after smoking Indian hemp —Woman
my husband“My lord, much as I love my husband, I want an end to our relationship because he almost killed me. He beats me at every given opportunity and has extended this bestial act to my mother. I have endured his inhuman behaviour enough, please separate us. “
Oduola Olaniyan had dragged her husband, Dotun Olaniyan to court seeking the dissolution of their 14-year-old marriage.
Oduola in her suit alleged that her husband was addicted to smoking Indian hemp, uncaring and nonchalant about her welfare and that of their three children. She added that he was in the habit of beating her.
According to her, he had extended the practice to her mother and this she stated she would not tolerate.
“My lord, I love my husband with all my heart and wish that our marriage would continue. Unfortunately, I can’t go on with it because if I do, I will die suddenly because he never ceases to beat me.
“He’s addicted to smoking India hemp and when he does and he’s high, he acts like an insane man and I’m always at the receiving end.
“He raises arguments on trivial issues and wait till it was late in the night when our neighbours who could rescue me from his hands were asleep to beat me.
“We have been moving from one house to another because our landlords had always sent us packing for disrupting the peace in their houses.
“He will not only beat me at home, but will come to my shop to fight me and destroy my goods.
“On few occasions, he would ask that I forgave him because he didn’t know what came over him, “she said.
“The last time we fought, we fought because of money. Both of us were doing a weekly contribution and his friend joined us. His friend had contributed N42, 000 and requested to have it before it was his turn to be given money.
“I called him from home to come for his money and gave him N25, 000 out of the money, promising to pay the balance soon. He initially refused to take it and demanded to have his N42, 000 returned to him in full.
“He called my husband and told him what transpired between us. My husband then called me and swore to kill me if he met me at home.
“I ran from home that night because I knew he could make his treat real. I returned home the following day with the balance of his friend’s money but I met my clothes thrown all over the place and they were torn.
“He came to my shop the following day to beat me. He also destroyed my wares. He left me foaming in the mouth. I was rushed to a nearby hospital by those around and was on admission for two days. I later realised that a part of the balance I had the intention of giving his friend had been stolen from me while we were fighting.
“He threw my property out of his house while I was on admission. After I was discharged, I gathered them and kept them in front of a neighbour’s house and left for my parents’ house. I thought he would come and apologise but he didn’t. Rather than beg, he kept boasting I would come back like I did when I left him for four years, “the plaintiff added.
“While with him, he passed his responsibilities to me. I was the one paying the rent and our children’s school fees, but he would still steal my money and deny he did.
“My mother bought him a bus for commercial purpose and gave him N100, 000 to put the bus in shape but he failed to appreciate her good gestures because he’s an ingrate.
He took our children to his mother, but I was still the one paying their school fees. His mother was always calling me to meet the children’s needs.
“Since I was undergoing financial strain because my husband had ruined my business, she advised me to join some other women in doing a daily contribution of N200 in order to pay the children’s fees. Seeing I couldn’t cope with the stress of paying their fees, I took our children from my mother in-law and also withdrew them from the private school they were attending and enrolled them in a public school.
“He came to my parents’ home and beat my mother for keeping our children with her. He did so thrice. The last time he did, he tore her clothes and broke her arm, “she said.
“She’s a liar, I didn’t beat her mother, ‘Dotun told the court.
“She made a ridicule of me by refusing to give my friend his money in full. I told her to hand over the money to me to give my friend but he gave my friend without my knowledge or consent because she didn’t want me to know the money was incomplete.
“My lord, she has been keeping our children away from me. The last time we spoke, she promised to bring the children to court but failed to do so. I came to court only because I want to see our children, “the defendant concluded.
Giving his judgment after listening to both parties, the court president, Chief Ademola Odunade observed that the love between them had waned,
Ruling, he dissolved their marriage and granted custody of their three children to the plaintiff.
The defendant was ordered to pay the sum of N10, 000 monthly as their children’s feeding allowance and be responsible for their education and health care.