He hit me with cutlass, laced my food with poison —Woman

Oja Oba/Mapo Court C Customary Court, Mapo, Ibadan, Oyo State, has dissolved the 15-year-old wedlock between a woman, Mujidat Kasali and her husband, Akanmu Kasali.

Mujidat had dragged her husband to court alleging that he was irresponsible, troublesome and wicked. He thus prayed the court to separate them and grant her custody of their three children.

The defendant debunked all the plaintiff had said but stated he was also in support of divorce.

The court president, Chief Ademola Odunade after listening to the couple observed that there was no more love between them, adding that it was necessary that their union be dissolved since it was fraught with violence.

Ruling, Odunade dissolved their marriage and gave custody of their children to the plaintiff.

The defendant was ordered to pay N10, 000 monthly through the court as their children’s feeding allowance and be responsible for their education and health care.

He was also mandated to pay the plaintiff the sum of N3, 000 to pack her belongings from his home.

Mujidat stated before that: “My lord, I have not enjoyed my 15-year-old marriage to my husband for a day because he’s nothing but a beast.

“He has almost snuffed life out of me with his beatings and will send me to my early grave if I don’t take a drastic step which is why I have run to this honourable court for help, “she said.

“My husband beats me at every given opportunity; anytime we have a misunderstanding, rather than make attempts at settling the issue, he will resort to beating me ruthlessly. My body bears scars from the wounds I sustained from his beatings.

“There were times he hit me with the cutlass and I bled as a result of the cuts from it.

“He’s highly irresponsible and consistently dodged his responsibility at home. I can count on my finger tips the number of days he gave me and our children feeding allowance in the 15 years we are married.  He’s always claiming not to have money even when you come across money in his pocket or wardrobe.

“He ran from home to avoid playing the fatherly role to the children and moved in with another woman, precisely his tenth wife because I’m the ninth, “she added.

“He sneaked into our compound one midnight and locked me and our children indoor and went away with the key. We discovered we had been locked in the following morning. It was our neighbour who forced the door open.

“Another time, he came after I had left for shop and removed the door to our room.

“My lord, he is always threatening to kill me.  I was once cooking beans on the stove and he came and poured poison in it. He mixed the beans with the leaves he used in bathing those with mental illness and these gave the food a bitter taste.  It was our neighbour who saw him that raised the alarm, “the plaintiff told the court.

“I agree to divorce, but I want the court to know that my wife is a liar. She   cooked up all she said to curry the court’s favour.

“There was never a time I tried to poison her. She was the one who acted foolishly and nearly killed herself and our children. There is a  specie of beans she cooks yearly with a particular leaf. She mistakenly used bacteria-infected leaves to cook these beans that year which turned poisonous and made them ill after eating the meal. I paid through my nose at the hospital they were rushed to for medical attention.

“I want to add again that I never locked them out or removed the door to her room.  Only an insane person would do that.

“I moved out of home because she’s too troublesome and this is telling on my health, “he stated.