“My lord, I pray this honourable court to save me from the claws of my wife who started behaving abnormally and intentionally made our home a hellish place to live in all because I took a new wife. I decided to move out of home two weeks ago before she snuffs life out of me.”
Idris Akande had brought a divorce suit against his wife, Marian Akande at the Oja Oba/ Mapo, Court C Customary Court,Mapo, Ibadan, Oyo State.
Idris in his suit alleged that his wife had suddenly become troublesome and had consistently fought him because he took a new wife. He thus prayed the court to dissolve their union.
The plaintiff told the court: “My lord, when I met my wife and we were courting, I told her that after we are married, being a Muslim, I would later take another wife and she raised no objection.
“We got married, had five children and 19 years into our marriage, I took a new wife and informed her. Since then hell has been let loose.
“She stopped me from going to the mosque to pray in the morning; she would stand in the way and insist I wasn’t going out. There were times she would lock the door and rough handle my clothes. I, therefore, started praying in the house.
“She abandoned her duties in the home while she took to fighting me always. We fought almost every day which wasn’t so in the past.
“My family members tried to mediate in our differences on several occasions but she refused to let peace reign which made them got fed up with her.
“I decided to move out of the house and moved in with my new wife when she gave me no respite, “he stated.
“I don’t agree to divorce because I have no place to go if he throws me out of his home, “Mariam told the court.
“I was a Christian and a Jehovah Witness precisely when we met. My parents were not in support of our relationship from the outset and stood against it because he’s a Muslim and also not educated. But I insisted I was going to marry him.
“They vowed to disown me if I went on with my wedding plan with him and they did when I got married him.
“After marriage, being an alfa, he put me into pudah and made me study the Koran and attend the Koranic school. I started wearing hijab.
“His family members were impressed with the way I showed interest in the Islamic religion which made my relationship with them cordial.
“It is true he told me he was going to take another wife in the future but the impression he gave me was that it would be when our children were grown up and had gotten married, “she added
Weeping, Mariam told the court, “My parents have disowned me because I got married to him while there is no rapport between my siblings and I. He and our children are the only ones I have, if he throws me out I’m finished.