“My lord, all I pray for is divorce. If I go back home with my wife today, I might not live to see tomorrow. I neither have peace nor rest at home because she’s always threatening to kill me. My medical report is not encouraging at all. My doctor actually advised me to mind my health so as to avoid dropping dead suddenly.”
Olukayode Akande has dragged his wife, Arit Akande, before Oja Oba/Mapo Court C Customary Court, Mapo, Ibadan, Oyo State, seeking the dissolution of their 25-year-old marriage.
Olukayode alleged that his wife was promiscuous, troublesome and violent. He added that she was always threatening to kill him.
He, therefore, appealed to the court to terminate their marriage and order her never to come to his house to harass or fight him.
Giving his evidence, the plaintiff stated that, “I met and married my wife 25 years ago. She was 14 years old when we got married and I promised her parents to take care of her.
“She learnt fashion designing and I was responsible for her training. I set her up after training and equipped her shop. I lavished money on her and made her comfortable as much as I could, but she suddenly started growing wings and turned my home upside down.
“Despite the fact that she had no issue for me, I still trained two of her siblings up to the university level and was always putting money in her mother’s account every month.
“Before I retired from work, I bought her a piece of land and also gave her a meaningful amount to expand her business. And when I retired, I gave her another N1, 000, 000 out of my entitlement so that she could launch into another business. But she proved to be an ingrate and made me an object of ridicule in my family and neighbourhood as she hops from bed to bed, Olukayode said.
“My lord, my wife is a harlot. She sleeps around even with men younger than her. Whenever I confront her with facts of her illicit affairs, she will ask me to do my worst.
“She no more has respect for me. Any time we argue on an issue she will shout and rain curses on me. She has gone as far as beating me and tearing my clothes into shreds, thereby leaving me naked.
“At some other times she will brandish a cutlass at me and swear to kill me. Our neighbours have had to come to my rescue on six different occasions she was engaged in this act.
“She has destroyed everything in my house. She destroyed the lock to the doors and forced the doors opened after she accused me of hiding foodstuff in the rooms.
“She’s also fetish in nature. She has all sorts of charms in her processing which she uses in carrying out her devilish activities.
“My lord, I don’t want to go back home with my wife, or else she will kill me. I want to live long to reap the fruits of my labour.
“My doctor, after carrying out a thorough check up on me, has advised me to give my health proper attention so as not to die suddenly. My lord, with my wife still under my roof, I will surely die before my time, “he said.
Arit refused to admit to claim. According to her, she has nowhere to go if her husband divorces her. She added that she was carrying her husband’s baby.
“My lord, all my husband has said are lies. I see him as my father and I call him daddy.
“I have nowhere to go if he divorces me. I’m also carrying his baby, I, therefore, need his financial and emotional support.
“He got married to me in Port Harcourt and later brought me to the south west. My mother is presently sick and is being admitted in the hospital while my two siblings are old and are with their different families.
“He knows my mother is sick and wants to get rid of me before she dies so that he won’t be involved in the burial expenses, the defendant stated.
Ruling after he had listened to both parties, the court president, Chief Ademola Odunade dissolved their union.
He ordered the plaintiff to give the defendant N5, 000 to pack her property out of his house and another N12, 000 to rent a new apartment.