An Igando customary court has dissolved a 16-year-old marriage between Funmilayo Adedeji and Emmanuel Adedeji over a 10-year sex starvation of the wife by the husband.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that delivering his judgement, the president of the court, Mr Adegboyega Omilola, said the petitioner was adamant despite several mediations from the court and family intervention on the issue.
“Since the petitioner insisted on a divorce after several interventions, the court has no choice but to dissolve the union in spite of the fact that the wife still claims she loves her husband.
“The court hereby pronounces the marriage between Emmanuel Adedeji and Funmilayo Adedeji dissolved today; both parties, henceforth, cease to be husband and wife.
“Both are free to go their separate ways without any hindrances and molestation,” Omilola ruled.
Earlier, Funmilayo had in her response to a suit filed by her husband said that Emmanuel gave no reasons for starving her of sex for a decade.
“My husband refused to make love to me since 2006, I don’t know his reasons.
“I had called members of my family and those of his family to intervene but he refused to change.
“My body yearns for sex but I don’t just want to commit adultery because I want all the children to be fathered by one man,” she said.
The mother of two said that she also accused her husband of using their son for ritual because he started showing signs of prosperity immediately they gave birth to the newborn.
“My husband’s wealth became noticeable and started booming after the birth of our baby. Our son is now 12 years old, but he can neither walk nor talk.
“He wanted to divorce me so that I will no longer persuade him to take the boy to hospital for treatment.
“He had always rejected medical treatment and had refused me approaching a church for deliverance.
“I always cursed him because he used to beat me; he once beat me to a pulp after which I landed in the hospital,” she said.
She, however, begged the court not to grant her husband’s wish, saying she was still in love.
The petitioner, Adedeji, a 51-year-old clearing agent, had approached the court seeking to end his 16-year-old marriage over defamation of his character by his wife.
“My wife won’t stop accusing me of using my physically challenged son for money ritual.
“It is God that has blessed me with wealth; I never used my son for any ritual,” he said.
Adedeji said that his wife was also ‘good at fighting,’ claiming she had the habit of beating him in public.
Apart from the beating, Adedeji also claimed that curses from his wife were beginning to affect his life and business negatively.
“My wife always curses me very early in the morning and those curses are now coming to pass in my life,” he said.
He, therefore, pleaded with the court to dissolve the marriage, saying he was no longer in love and would not want to commit murder.
“Please, dissolve the marriage before the devil will use me,” the estranged husband said.