She comes home when she likes and goes off as she likes —Man

A customary court sitting at Aba-na-Ohazu, near Aba, Abia State, has dissolved the 22 –year-old marriage between Maduka Isaiah and his wife, Nwaburu on  grounds of denial of conjugal rights and irresponsible behaviour.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the dissolution of the marriage contracted in 1994, followed a suit filed by Maduka claiming that his wife had become another woman to him and no longer gives him his matrimonial rights.

“She comes into the house when she likes and goes off when she feels. She has no respect for me any longer and has adopted keeping malice against me as a way of life.

“She now treats me in a despicable manner hence her attitude shows that there is no more love in her heart for me.

“In spite of repeated complaints I have made to her people, she has continued in her repulsive ways, thereby prompting me to take this step to sever the marriage relationship existing between us,” he said.

Maduka, therefore, prayed the court to dissolve the marriage, give him custody of their two female children and to award him other consequential orders as the court may deem fit.

The respondent was not in court and she was not represented by anybody.

Ruling, Magistrate Diamond Olewengwa, said that the testimony of Josiah Onuoha, a witness to the marriage, who had made several efforts to settle the couple but had failed, showed the marriage could no longer stand.

“Love which is the key ingredient of a valid marriage, having been seen to be extinct, leaves no one in doubt that the marriage had broken down irretrievably.

“Consequently, it is hereby ordered as follows: that the marriage existing between Nwaburu James Isaiah and James Maduka Isaiah contracted in 1994 stand hereby dissolved.

“The respondent is hereby ordered to vacate the home abode of the petitioner, return the N30 bride price on her head and revert to her maiden or other name of her choice”, he ordered.

The court said they were free to remarry to any other person of their choice, while urging them to keep the peace and not to threaten each other’s lives.