He accuses me of adultery, monitors me, threatens to kill me —Wife

“My life is no longer safe with my husband. He’s the jealous type. He accuses me of infidelity, monitors my movement and has often threatened to maim or kill me. I now sleep with one eye open because he can make his threat real.”

“She went into politics despite my reservation about it and before I knew it she had started dating her party members. I once overheard her fixing a date with one of her lovers in the toilet. I also caught her alighting from a man’s car around 2:33 a.m.”

Suliat Badmus approached Oja Oba/Mapo Court C Customary Court, Mapo, Ibadan, Oyo State expressing her willingness to end her twenty-four-year-old marriage to her husband, Wasiu Badmus as a result of his hostility towards her and constant threat to her life.

The plaintiff told the court she lives in fear every day because he might carry out his threat.

Wasiu, responding to the claim read to him, told the court he should be the one dragging his wife to court. According to him, Suliat is nothing but a slot.

The defendant readily agreed to divorce.

Suliat stated thus:”My lord, my life is in danger. My husband has denied me rest of mind. He constantly shirked his responsibility in the home. He cares less about my welfare and that of our children. Rather than be awake to his duties towards us, he wastes precious time monitoring me.

“He accuses me of being promiscuous and beats me mercilessly in the presence of our children. He will make sure I bleed before releasing me. My body bears scars of the wounds he inflicted on me.

“Wasiu intentionally neglected me; he abandoned me and carried out his activities in the home as if I don’t exist. He has ceased to listen to my pleas and have always declared he doesn’t trust me.

“He recently took to threatening to either maim or kill me and I believe he can do it. I now sleep with an eye open because my life is no longer safe with him.

“He threw my belongings out after receiving the court summon and dared that I brought them in.

“My lord, I desire to live long and eat the fruits of my labour. I pray that you end our relationship before my husband wastes my life, “she concluded.

Giving his evidence, Wasiu told the court:”My lord, I should be the one dragging my wife to court and not the other way round. My mind is likewise made up on divorce. I’m no more interested in her.

“My lord, Suliat is a disgrace to the womenfolk. She’s a slot.

“When she informed me of her plan to join politics, I wasn’t favourably disposed to it because I knew what becomes of such women, but she was adamant.

“I gave her a go ahead because I held a high level of trust in her but she ended up disappointing me. Suliat promised never to be involved in any shameful practice, but at the end of the day she got herself neck deep in it.

“Immediately she joined her choice party and started mingling with the male card bearers of the party, she started misbehaving towards me. She became rude and disrespectful and always insisting on having her way.

“Suliat took to dating her male counterparts in the party and would return home in the thick of the night.

“As one of the landlords in my area, I head the security outfit organised in my area to effect safety. We take turns to carry out our duties every night.

“My colleagues informed me that my wife was brought home every night by different men. I decided to catch her red handed and waited for her return on a particular night. As her lover drove towards the street gate, my colleagues whistled to me and I came out of my hiding. The time was 2:33 a. m. I walked to them and demanded to know who brought her. I dealt ruthlessly with her lover while she left for our house in shame.

“My lord, she slept outside home on the night of the presidential election and had her phone switched off throughout the night.

“At another time, I overheard her fixing a date with one of her lovers in the toilet. I took her phone few minutes after this, saved her lover’s number and called him, warning him to leave my wife or face the consequence.

“I have reported Suliat to our elders many times but she has failed to change.

“My lord, I was surprised when she arrested me with the police, claiming that I was threatening her. When the police heard the side of my story they felt disappointed in my wife and pleaded with me to settle the issue amicably.

“Some of our children were present in court and can testify to their mother’s shameful act.

“My lord, she packed her belongings out of my house out of her own free volition, I didn’t throw her things out,  ”the defendant said.

Giving his judgment after he had listened to both parties, the court president, Chief Ademola Odunade observed that the relationship between the couple has broken down irrevocably.

Ruling, he dissolved their union.