Court dissolves hairdresser’s 10-year-old marriage

An Ekiti Customary Court sitting in Ikole Ekiti, Ekiti State, has dissolved a 10-year-old marriage between one Mrs Odunayo  Agbetuyi, and her husband, Alabi Ijarotimi,  for constant assault.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the court president, Mrs Yemisi Ojo, dissolved the union due to irreconcilable differences between the couple.

She ruled that both parties should go their separate ways and refrain from harassing or disturbing each other.

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Ojo awarded custody of the four children from the union to Alabi for proper upbringing and education, but held that the last child should remain temporarily with the petitioner because of his tender age.

She said the respondent would be responsible for the child’s school fees and pay N5,000 for his monthly upkeep.

“The petitioner is granted free access to the children at anytime,” she said.

Earlier, the petitioner, Odunayo, told the court that she was not customarily married to the respondent but had four children for him.

She said that she separated from the respondent five years ago due to the maltreatment and incessant assault she received from him while they lived together.

Odunayo stated that despite the fact that she had separated from the respondent, he still continued to disturb and harass her.

The mother of four children told the court that she had been responsible for the children’s welfare since she left the respondent.

She prayed the court to dissolve her association with the respondent.

The respondent, Alabi Ijarotimi, a civil servant, denied all the allegations brought against him by the petitioner.

He said the petitioner’s refusal to attend his church and an undue interference of one Chief Olotin, who he suspected was having an affair with her, were the reasons for their differences.

Alabi told the court that he was responsible for the petitioner’s secondary education, technical school and hairdressing apprenticeship.

The respondent said he was not in support of the prayer of the petitioner for divorce.

Alabi prayed the court to award him custody of their children.