I beat her mercilessly, then took her to hospital —Husband

A Grade ‘C’ customary court sitting at Inalende, Mokola, Ibadan, Oyo State, has dissolved the marriage of Musbau Fatai and his wife, Sofiat.

The plaintiff, Musbau had filed a case of divorce against his wife on the grounds that she is a liar and unruly.

Musbau, 43, sworn to an oath before the court that he wanted to divorce his wife because when he met her, she already had three children from her former marriage while their own marriage is blessed with a child.

“I married her after my wife died,” Musbau said.

“One of the three children from her former marriage was a sickler.  I told my wife to inform her father but the man refused to show up. At that point, I took it upon myself to take the child to a herbalist who treated her and her health condition started improving. Unfortunately, the child later died.

“After the child’s death, I persuaded my wife to take her to her father for proper burial but she refused. I reported the case at Ologuneru police station where we were assisted to call the child’s father and he was ordered to bury the child,” he told the court.

The plaintiff further explained that after the child’s burial, his wife began another round of trouble in the form of blackmail.

“She started blackmailing me, saying that I killed her daughter, Ayisatu. She packed out of the house on July 7, 2015, but has not stopped coming to request for our wedding pictures.

When her pressure was becoming unbearable, we had to burn the photographs,” he said.

Musbau also told the court that Sofiat went to meet his mother to abuse and also beat her. Musbau also alleged that there was a day his wife visited him to foment trouble as usual but that he was provoked so he had to beat her mercilessly. “I was provoked so I beat her and as well carried her to a hospital. After treatment, I paid her hospital bill. This woman wants to kill me,” Musbau said.

According to him, Sofiat started misbehaving following his stoppage of her monthly allowance of N6000 after she left his house. Sofiat was said to have moved part of her belongings out of the house over a year ago.

The court, however, asked Musbau if he at anytime reported his wife’s misdeeds to her mother, he said, “Her mother came to talk to her in our house and we’ve also gone to meet her in her house about five times.”

President of the court, Mr Ramoni Olafenwa, in his judgement, held that, “all efforts to reconcile both parties have failed after a number of adjournments and more so that the plaintiff swore to an oath that the defendant had packed out of the house over a year ago, hence, there is no more love between them.

“The court pronounces the marriage between Musbau and Sofiat Fatia dissolved henceforth and the child of the marriage be given N2, 500 every month as food allowance. The money is to be paid to the court. The plaintiff to take care of the child on health, education, moral and financial grounds,” the court ruled.