A woman, Rukayat Ogunmola, has told Ile Tuntun Customary Court, Mapo, Ibadan, Oyo State she wants to walk out of her five-year-old marriage.
Rukayat in her divorce suit alleged that her husband, Olabode Ogunmola, was a brute and never ceased to dehumanise her. The plaintiff added that her husband was in the habit of tying her hands together before beating the hell out of her.
According to her, any time he beat her, he would ensure he left a mark on her.
Rukayat, therefore, prayed the court to separate her and her husband and grant her custody of their child for proper care.
Olabode agreed to divorce. He declared that he was also fed up with their marriage. The defendant stated that he was no longer interested in a woman who always threatened him with dangerous objects.
The court president, Chief Olasunkanmi Agbaje, after listening to both parties, stated that more evidence would be needed. He thus adjourned the case till May 2 and asked the duo to come to court with their only child and parents.
Rukayat told the court thus, ”I’ve had no rest of mind since I got married to my husband. He’s in the habit of beating me at every given opportunity. Any time he wants to beat me, he will tie my hands together and beat the hell out of me.
“My lord, I lost a set of twins as a result of his frequent beatings. I thought he would pity my state when I was pregnant with the twins and stopped acting the brute, but the reverse was the case.
“He came to the hospital when I was on admission and dealt me with punches after we had a slight misunderstanding. I lost our twins who were born premature as a result of his beatings and had to be put under observation for weeks at the hospital.
“He beat me again the second time I was pregnant and I vomited blood, “she said.
“His parents, to my surprise felt unconcerned with the way he threatened me despite reporting him to them on regular basis.
“My parents, on seeing he was not ready to change after mediating in our differences on several occasions, advised that I seek for divorce before he cut my life short as a result of his violent acts. My lord, this is why I have come to court,” the plaintiff stated.
“All she said are lies,” Olabode told the court. “I have only beaten her once and that was when we were courting and she aborted my pregnancy.
“We started having misunderstanding when she aborted our first pregnancy without my knowledge. We were then courting and she explained that her parents would skin her alive if they discovered she was pregnant.
“I found what she did displeasing and I told her that but we later made up.
“She took in a second time and made an attempt to abort it again. I reported her to her brother who she was then staying with and he advised her against it. She later moved in with me and we started living together, ”he said.
“My mother was against the manner at which we got married and made it known to my wife. According to her, any woman who moves into a man’s house unceremoniously is regarded as cheap.
“My wife started misbehaving immediately she moved in. She started flouting my orders and was always shouting on me. She also turned violent and on many occasions threatened to stab me with broken bottles. My mother once witnessed the display of her violent act.
“She was later pregnant with a set of twins who died because they were delivered premature.
“We had a misunderstanding shortly after she was delivered of another child and she used the opportunity to move her belongings to her brother’s house. I went there in order that we have our differences resolved but my mother-in-law told me my wife was no more interested in our marriage.
“I take care of our child to the best of my ability. I give N7, 000 every month for his upkeep since she moved in with her brother, “he concluded.