Tunde in his suit alleged that his wife was troublesome and always vowed to kill him any time they fought. He added that she betrayed him.
He thus prayed the court to separate them and grant him custody of their first child.
“My wife gave me no peace or rest of mind from the outset of our marriage. She was a thorn in the flesh throughout the years we dwelled as husband and wife.
“She fought me nearly every day and tore my clothes to rags. She was never appreciative of all I did in taking care of her and our children. What she knew best to do was to complain and compare me with other men.
“She was also fond of accusing me of engaging in extra marital affairs and would always threaten to kill me.
“She once alleged that I was befriending a lady known to her. She went to the lady’s house every morning and night for a week to fight her. She afterwards descended on me. She rough-handled my shirt and tore it. She would have torn my trousers and left me naked but for our neighbours who came to my rescue. They dragged me back into our room and locked the door. But my wife ran into the kitchen, poured hot water in a bucket, went to the back of our room and splashed the hot water on me through the window.
“She threatened to kill me. Our neighbours on hearing this informed my siblings on the phone what was happening between my wife and me. They rushed down, but she showed no sign of remorse in their presence.
“I was in pain for days while I paid through the nose while receiving medical attention.
“A meeting was held between my family and hers after the incident and my father in-law was asked to write an undertaking promising that my wife would no longer fight or harm me, “he stated.
“I had a problem with the Immigration Service shortly after this incident while smuggling in some goods into the country which earned me a jail term.
“She locked up my shop and made the goods there to get spoilt.
“Thinking I was going to die in prison she took to adultery. She dated our landlord’s brother who slept with her and impregnated her on our bed.
“I took another wife after I had finished serving my jail term, but her daughter who is our second child gave me and my new wife hell. She destroyed things in the home and was always at loggerheads with my new wife.
“My lord, I want the court to terminate the relationship between my wife and me and grant me custody of our first child. She can have our second child, Faith” the plaintiff stated.
Mary admitted to claim.
Giving her evidence she stated thus: “When I met my husband 21 years ago, he told me he was a mechanic, but I later discovered that he was a pickpocket and that he had many friends who were in the same trade with him.
“They operated by moving from one town to another so that it would be difficult for the police to apprehend and arrest them.
“Any time he was arrested by the police, his friends would ask me to come for his bail. I would gather all that I have with me and sometimes sell my property to procure his bail.
“Aside this, he was a drunk and he drank himself to stupor on a regular basis. He constantly fought me and our neighbours because we were all fed up with his drinking habit. Any time he was drunk, he would make a nuisance of himself and disrupt the peace of the compound which our neighbours found offensive.
“He fought me when I was with our first child and nearly killed me. I, therefore, moved to my parents’ place and had our first child there. I later moved back to his place after our differences were resolved.
“He also couldn’t do without women. He actually had chain of girlfriends who he doled money out to while our children and I starved.
“The last time he was caught pick-pocketing, he was arrested and locked up in the cell.
“I sold my deep freezer at a give-away price in order to raise money to secure his bail. I also sold crates of empty bottles. Despite all my efforts at securing his release, he was still sentenced to jail.
“His family members and friends deserted me and our children and left us to suffer for the three years he was behind bars. When I saw help was not coming, I went into a relationship with our landlord’s brother and later got married to him.
“He lied that my new husband was sleeping with me in our bedroom while he was in jail. We moved out of the house shortly after he started serving his jail term because our rent was due. I started dating my new husband after this.
“He came after me when he was through with his jail term; he brought a vehicle and moved all his property from my place, “she concluded.
After listening to the evidence given by both parties, the court president, Chief Ademola Odunade, adjourned the case till November 28 and ordered that they both come to court with their children and parents.
and then