At 70, he still gives me head butt, tears off my undies whenever we fight —Wife •She’s a 419 —
A woman, Yemisi Odukoya of College Crescent, Oke Ado, Ibadan, Oyo State, has prayed the Ile Tuntun Customary Court, Mapo, Ibadan, Oyo State to dissolve her 4-year-old marriage to her husband, Bode Odukoya, over constant battery.
“I married my husband as a widow thinking I would get succor after the harrowing experience I went through as a result of my first husband’s demise, but he has succeeded in adding to my grief, “Yemisi stated at the court.
“My husband is 70 years old, but he has failed to be a good example at home and in the neighbourhood.
“A day hardly passes without my husband beating me. He would lock the door and beat me mercilessly, tearing off my clothes, pant and bra.
“There was a day we had a mild misunderstanding, but he became irate and started punching me. Not satisfied, he dragged me out of our apartment, beat me the more and as usual, tore my under wear. He left me naked at the glare of neighbours and passers-by. It was a neighbour living upstairs who came to my rescue by giving me his boxers to cover my nakedness,” she added.
“At another time, while we were both fighting, he gave me a head butt which left a deep cut on my forehead. I bled and lost a lot of blood. I reported him at the Orita Police Station and two policemen were assigned to go home with me for his arrest. When we got home, I was dazed at what I saw.
“ My husband had used a sharp object to cut his face and lied to the policemen that I did. The policemen confused, had to drag both of us to the station where we were detained. I was the one who paid N4,500 for his bail.”
“My husband hates to see my children pay me a visit or interact with me. These are the children I had for my late husband. Any time they did, we would fight. My daughter in-law dropped my granddaughter for me at my shop to help her look after when going out. I backed her and went home when she didn’t return early. She later called me that she was at my shop. My husband realising I was about leaving home, got angry and started to hit me but for the baby on my back. He then called my son never to bring his child to his house again. We had a heated argument and he threw me out of his house and refused to let me take any of my belongings with me except this dress that I have on. He also locked up the shop which he opened for me and kept the keys, “the plaintiff stated.
“I don’t want to die before my time and my children still need me. I’ve faced enough embarrassment being stripped naked always. I don’t want to go further in the marriage, please separate us,” she appealed to the court.
The respondent, reacting to what the plaintiff had said, declared that she was not his wife.
“She’s not my wife, she’s my girlfriend, “he told the court.
“She’s nothing but a 419. She moved into my house and still held on to her rented apartment outside after I have paid N10,000 as her dowry and this is aside another N40,000 which her people collected from me.
“It’s not true that I beat her, it’s her son who caused the rift between us, “he said.
“I don’t agree to her plea for a divorce because she has taken up cooking from her mate since she moved into my house and she cooks well. She has also helped in managing my kerosene business well. I still need her to do all these,” he concluded.
The court president, Chief Agbaje Olasunkanmi, having listened to the two, ordered that the court bailiff should go with the plaintiff to her husband’s house to pack out her belongings while the case was adjourned till February 3.
The court president going through the added evidence brought to the court by both parties on February 3, ruled that the union between the two be dissolved. He further ordered the defendant to allow the plaintiff remove any property of hers still remaining in his house.