The union between Seun Ojo and Bamidele Ojo has been dissolved by Ayekale/Agugu Grade ‘C’ Customary Court, Ayekale/Agugu, Ibadan, Oyo State.
The 10-year-old union was terminated by the court president, Mrs Adunola Obisesan on the accounts of irresponsibility, battery and infidelity by the defendant.
The plaintiff, in her divorce suit, prayed the court to end their relationship and put their children in her care.
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Giving her evidence, Seun Ojo stated that:”I was impregnated by my husband while we were courting. While my husband’s family knew about my pregnancy, I kept it away from my parents and lied to them that I was travelling to the North. I did so because I knew they would never be in support of my marriage to my husband.
“When my pregnancy was five months old, my husband and I sponsored a pastor to inform my parents about my pregnancy. As I expected, my parents, especially my mum was disappointed in me.
“Years into our marriage, my husband started having an affair with my apprentices. When I was pregnant with our second child, he started flirting with another woman but he denied it when I confronted him. I later discovered he had impregnated her when I mistakenly came across the result of the scan of her pregnancy in my husband’s possession.
“My lord, this woman had the effrontery to come to our house and my husband had the guts to ask me to prepare her a meal. I bluntly refused and fought her. My husband got mad and beat me blue-black.
“He’s in the habit of beating and this he did in the presence of our children.
“He gave me only N7, 000 as monthly allowance for food and left me to shoulder all other responsibilities in the home including our children’s education.
“Our pastor advised us that we legalised our marriage and he told him he had impregnated another woman and that he was no longer interested in our marriage.
“I moved out of his house when he almost maimed me with his punches.
“He seized my phone and locked my shop, according to him, he paid five-month rent on it.
“His lover has now moved into the house.
“My lord, I pray this court to mandate him to return my handset, unlock my shop and grant me access to his house to pack my belongings.
“I further appeal to the court to grant me custody of our two children in order that I give them adequate attention, “she stated.
Bamidele refused to admit to claim.
“Seun conceived and carried out the idea of lying to her parents about the pregnancy. She did so because she knew her mum would never support our union.
“Rather than seeing to it that our marriage worked, she started rebelling against me and accusing me of infidelity while she’s the culprit.
“My lord, the second child in our marriage is not mine. She got impregnated by this man through her parents’ knowledge. I once caught her strolling down the street with the man.
“The woman she accused me of dating is our benefactor. She took care of her when she was carrying her second child.
“I stopped sleeping on the same bed with her. I slept on the sofa for three years and eight months after I learnt about her secret, “the defendant said.
“If I gave her feeding allowance, she would divide it into two. I reported her to her parents but she refused to change despite being rebuked and counseled by her father.
‘I bought her a car, but she still slept with other men in hotels’
“I stopped eating at home thinking she would be sober and work towards having our relationship restored but she remained adamant.
“She stopped washing my clothes and also abandoned other chores in the house.
“I seized her machine and sealed off her shop to distort her business but she still refused to change.
“Rather than help in reconciling us, all her parents and pastor were interested in was having her shop opened.
“She got me arrested with the police and later moved out of my house and left me to live like a bachelor.
“Despite all she has done, I pray the court not to dissolve our marriage because I still love her.
Having adjourned the case thrice and witnesses from both families invited to court to give their evidence and further steps taken for possible reconciliation of both parties proved futile, Obisesan dissolved their wedlock.
Ruling, she ordered the two children produced by their wedlock to be in the custody of the plaintiff while the defendant pays the sum of six thousand naira monthly for their upkeep.
He is also to be responsible for their education and health care.