I caught my husband covering our lame child with white cloth in the night —Wife

A 48-year-old wife, Abosede Balogun, has pleaded with a Lagos Customary Court in Lagos State to dissolve her 25- year-old marriage, calling her husband a ritualist.

“My husband performs rituals even at night. He once brought a ram to the house to slaughter at midnight. I don’t feel safe living with him,” Abosede told an Orile Agege Customary Court.

Abosede was responding to a divorce suit filed by her husband, Idris Balogun.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Abosede stated that her husband’s behaviour changed shortly after they got married and that since then, he has been looking for ways to fight her on the slightest provocation.

“I once caught my husband at midnight covering one of our children, who is physically challenged with a white cloth.

“I threw the cloth away and burnt it and he fought me because of this.

“There was a day that my husband and his brother brought a ram to the house. They waited until midnight before they slaughtered it.  I was watching through the window.

“They hung the ram in our compound for days, “she said, urging the court to dissolve their marriage.

Balogun, 53, a father of three, who got married to Abosede in 1993, told the court that his wife had been flouting his instructions and that she also joined a bad company.

“My wife doesn’t respect me. She once travelled to Dubai with her friends without my knowledge.

“I feel threatened by her moves these days. I am not secure seeing her with women who do not have homes and impart her negatively,” he said.

Idris urged the court to dissolve his marriage and grant him access to their children.

The court president, Mr P. A. Williams, observed that efforts to reunite the couple had failed.

“The court cannot force two unwilling parties to live together,” he said.

The thus adjourned the case for judgment.