‘He drinks, steals and gambles with my money’

An Idi-Ogungun Customary Court, Agodi, Ibadan in Oyo State, has dissolved  the 10-year-old union between Shina Ismaila and Olaremi Ismaila over  the husband’s  drinking habit.

The court president, Chief Mukaila Balogun, dissolved their marriage and ordered that the first two children be in the custody of the defendant while the last child should be with the plaintiff.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the court also ruled that the defendant pay N3,500  to the plaintiff  as monthly allowance for the upkeep of the child in her custody.

Earlier, the 28-year-old housewife,  Olaremi, had told the court that her husband, Shina, was a drunkard and was always beating her whenever she refused to clean his mess after vomiting.

Olaremi alleged that her husband was also a gambler and never took care of her and their three children.

“I dare not advise him against gambling nor caution him over his excessive drinking habit; in fact, he hardly listens to his parents’ advice.

“The worse thing is that he steals my money and gambles with it whenever he is broke and has thus ruined my business.

“ I regret marrying him and I pray the court to separate us before he ruins my entire life,’’ she pleaded.

The complainant, Olaremi, also prayed the court to grant her custody of their children.

Ismaila, a bricklayer, agreed to a divorce, but denied beating his wife.

He stated that his wife was fond of cursing him whenever they had misunderstandings.

He also objected to Oluremi’s  plea  to be granted custody of the three children stating that she did not have the means to cater for their wellbeing.