‘He abandoned me, moved to Lagos to avoid contacts with me’

A woman, Sola Solesi, has approached  Oja Oba/Mapo, Grade C Customary Court, Mapo, Ibadan, Oyo State, seeking the dissolution of her 15-year-old marriage to her husband, Taiwo Solesi, on accounts of neglect and  uncaring attitude towards her and their only child.

She also prayed the court to grant her custody of their three-year-old child.

Sola stated before the court that she and her husband met and got married in Ibadan, but he later moved to Lagos and abandoned her and their daughter.

“My husband and I met and got married in Ibadan, but he moved to Lagos shortly after.

“At the beginning, he used to come home once a week and I was always looking forward to his coming.

“But subsequently, he changed and started coming home once a month and later, once a year.

“As a result, I decided to visit him once a month, but he later demanded that I stopped visiting him. He afterwards moved house, she told the court.

“When we had our baby, I thought our relationship would improve, but the reverse was the case.

“He wasn’t thrilled about the birth of the baby and totally abandoned us. He never sent us food allowance and wasn’t concerned if we went about naked.

“Again, our child’s education wasn’t his priority. When I told him I wanted to enroll our child in the day care   at the age of three months since I had to go back to my job, he showed no interest. He told me he wasn’t ready to spend money to educate a child at that early age and asked me to enroll her in school when she’s old enough to be in  nursery class.

“When she was of age, I called him on phone and discussed her schooling with him, but he again declined and told me to wait till she is of primary school age.

“Realising that he was not ready to contribute to her education, I took up the challenge of paying her fees, she added.

“My husband stopped paying the house rent from the moment he moved to Lagos. I now struggle to pay the rent to avoid being thrown out by the landlord.

“There were times my daughter and I went to bed hungry. I still remember vividly that I called him on three different occasions we had the experience. I didn’t ask him to give us money, but lend me so as to feed myself and our baby with a promise to pay him back soon, but he refused.

“When our child took ill and was admitted in the hospital, I informed him, but he never showed up.

“Since I have lost both parents, I reported him to my aunt when I noticed his uncaring attitude early in our marriage, she spoke to him, but he didn’t change.

“Whenever I spoke with him on phone and complained that he wasn’t treating us right, he would tell me to go and look for another husband if I wasn’t pleased with him.

“My lord, I had hoped and prayed  these 15 years that my husband would have a rethink and change but it is obvious he has no plan of coming back to us.

“I, therefore, appeal to the court to separate us and grant me custody of our child.”

The defendant according to the bailiff had been served a court summon twice, but refused to show up in court.

The court president, Chief Ademola Odunade, while listening to the plaintiff observed that the love between her and her husband had waned. He also regarded the attitude of the defendant to the court summon as contemptuous.

He, therefore, dissolved their marriage and granted custody of the child to the plaintiff.

He ordered the defendant to give N5,000 monthly as their child’s food allowance and be responsible for her education and health care.