The 18-year-old marriage between a couple, Muyideen Sulaimon and his wife, Ayobami Sulaimon, has been dissolved by Oja Oba/ Mapo, Court C Customary Court, Mapo, Ibadan, Oyo State, after the latter consented to divorce.
The plaintiff in his divorce suit alleged that the defendant was troublesome and defiant.
He thus prayed the court to end their relationship and grant him custody of their four children.
Ayobami responding stated that she was willing to have their wedlock dissolved because Muyideen had been unfair to her and their children because they were female.
She begged the court to award her custody of all their children because her husband had neglected them for years and cared less if they live or died.
The plaintiff also entreated the court to make him responsible for their welfare.
Muyideen in his testimony explained that: “Ayobami is a troublesome woman. She is fond of flouting my orders and has succeeded in turning our children against me.
“Any time I gave an instruction, Ayobami would deliberately work against it. She refused that I had a say in the home.
“Being a Muslim, I decided that our children must acquire Arabic education in addition to the Western education but she refused to support me in this bid.
“Ayobami encouraged our children to rebel against me. They all refused to do my wish.
“I went as far as begging and prostrating to our children to attend lessons held by a Muslim cleric in our neighbourhood but they refused because their mother had poisoned their mind.
“I stopped looking after my wife and children’s welfare because they rebelled against me.
“I pray this court to end our relationship and grant me custody of our four children,” the plaintiff stated.
Ayobami giving her evidence explained that: “Muyideen has been unfair to me all because I had only female children for him.
“We started dating while in secondary school and we eventually got married. I believed our marriage was going to be a blissful one but that failed to be the case.
“Muyideen changed immediately we got married and almost frustrated me.
“We were living in his family house at the outset of our marriage and I served his family members like a slave.
“He would give me N1,500 to buy food stuff for the whole family and N200 to cook soup. I was always adding my money to these because I hate to complain.
“Any time I got frustrated and we quarreled, his family members would take sides with him.
“I denied myself many pleasures and supported him morally and financially in building our house. My belief was that things would get better when we started living away from his family members but this was not so.
“Muyideen deceived me into believing he wasn’t doing well in his business and would give me peanuts as feeding allowance.
“I kept believing his lies until his business partner’s wife disclosed to me that Muyideen made nothing less that N100,000 in a week in his business, “the defendant explained.
Ayobami added that, “My lord, I never knew he was spending his income on another woman whom he had married and rented an apartment for in town.
“Muyideen maltreated me because I had for him only female children.
“I once joked with him that I was pregnant and he was filled with rage. He told me he was no longer interested in having female children and ordered that I aborted it.
“I got to know about his second wife when he brought home a cleric purposely to inform me that my husband had taken a new wife and that she was pregnant with his child.
“Though shocked and disappointed in my husband, I accepted my fate.
“My lord, Muyideen came home one day and told me he owed a bank the sum of N500,000 and that he had derailed in the agreement of payment.
“According to him, the bank decided to sell our house which he used as collateral.
“I almost fainted when I heard this. He refused to give any further explanation and insisted I moved out of the house with our children.
“We hurriedly moved out with a few of the belongings we could go with and moved in with my aunt.
“My lord, three days later, I received a call from a neighbour who told me his second wife came with her belongings in a big van and that she had moved in.
“My handset almost fell from my hand when I heard this and I was covered by sweat.
“I went to pack the remaining of my belongings since I knew my marriage to Muyideen was over and his new wife informed him on the telephone that I was around.
“He rushed home and arrested me with the police and I was given a warning never to go to his house again,” Ayobami said.
“My lord, I was depressed and almost committed suicide because Muyideen betrayed the trust I had in him.
“I woke up one day and decided I had to live for our children’s sake. Survival gradually became easy since I had been used to hard work and feeding the family for the years our marriage lasted.
“I dragged him to the Welfare office because he bluntly refused to feed, clothe and sponsor our children’s education.
“I paid for our first child’s school certificate examination and enrolled her for JAMB lesson.
“Muyideen paid for her JAMB form but insisted I bought petrol in his car when we were to take her for the examination.
“My husband once got angry when I demand for our children’s feeding allowance from him. He threw a stool at me. I dodged it and it hit a pregnant woman sitting nearby.
“My lord, Muyideen gave the children only N3,000 since he threw us out in a tricky manner,” she concluded.
Giving his judgment, the court president, Chief Ademola Odunade dissolved their union and ordered that the defendant have custody of their four children.
The plaintiff was mandated to give the defendant N20,000 every month for their children’s feeding and be responsible for their education and health service.