The first time he beat me was on our wedding night —Wife

A woman, Rukayat Yusufu, has dragged her husband, Saheed Yusufu to Oja Oba/Mapo Court C Customary  Court, Mapo,  Ibadan, Oyo State, seeking the dissolution of their five-year-old marriage.

Rukayat  sought for divorce on the grounds that her husband, aside neglecting her and their child, had turned her into his punching  bag.

She thus urged the court to dissolve their union and grant her custody of their only child.

“My lord, my husband has succeeded in disfiguring my face with his punches.

“He is a dictator, self centered and loves to have his way always.

“He’s not bothered about my feelings or views on issues as far as it favours him.

“This attitude of his always left us arguing and quarreling early in our marriage until I learnt to keep away from him whenever he put up a fight, she said.

“But he took me for granted and would always order me around, “she said.

“Couples always look forward to a romantic wedding night; instead of having my husband’s hands   cuddled round me while we share loving moments on our wedding night what I got were punches.

“My lord, my husband started beating me on our wedding night and he has not stopped beating me since then.

“Since he is always aiming at my face whenever we fight, he has succeeded in leaving scars all over it.  He turned my once beautiful face into an ugly one.

“I take pain relieving drugs nearly every day as a result of the punches I receive from him, “she added.

“My mother in-law is also a reason our marriage has not worked.  She has never being in support of our marriage from the outset and has always worked against its success.

“She warned me few weeks after my husband and I got married never to attempt having children for his son. She told me it was to my peril if I ever did.

“I was stunned,  but at the same time afraid when she said this, but I kept it away from my husband.

“When I had our first child, she said it to my face that I was playing with fire.

“Shortly after this my husband suddenly turned cold towards me and our child.

“He stopped giving us feeding allowance and didn’t offer the necessary care.

“He later deserted us; he moved out of home to an unknown destination.

“After waiting for his return for months and he failed to show up,  I moved in with my parents, ”she concluded.

“My lord, I admit to my wife’s plea of divorce, “the defendant told the court.

“I have had enough of her misconduct.

“I have never met a person as adamant as my wife. She is neither submissive nor respectful.

“Though I’m the head of the home, her attitude belittles me.

“She cooked up all she said about my mother. She’s a liar. I have nothing more to say.”

Ruling after listening to both parties, the court president, Chief  Ademola Odunade, dissolved the  marriage.

According to him, the relationship between the duo had broken down irretrievably.

He ordered the defendant to pay a monthly allowance of N5,000 as their child’s feeding allowance and also take responsibility of his education and health care.