I caught her red-handed, then she ran away from home —Husband

No, he’s turned me into a punching bag —Wife

A 39-year-old man, Andrew Ndubuisi, has approached an Igando customary court, Lagos State to dissolve his four-year-old marriage over sex and food starvation.

“My wife starves me of food and sex.

“She always gives excuses whenever I want to make love to her, despite all my pleadings, she will not allow me, my body is not a stone nor iron rod.

“Apart from sex, she also denies me food; she is a poor cook and hardly cooks. Whenever she does, it is either the food is too salt or watery.

“If I complain, she will take the food and dispose of it and she will never apologise; I used to buy food to eat or go hungry,” he said.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the petitioner also accused his wife of infidelity.

“My wife is having an affair.

“Last February 1, I called my wife with a new SIM I just bought.

“Unknown to her, she never knew who was calling; she said ‘is it because my wife was around that I refused call or visit her.’

“It was then that I knew that my wife was having affair.

“I refused to respond. I waited for her to do the talking; she started calling me sweet names and told me how much she loved me.

“She insisted I should say something; I later revealed myself to her and she was shocked. Before I got home, she had packed out with our three-year-old daughter.

“When she did not return for days, I reported at the police station; I also went to the radio and television stations, including a newspaper, to place an announcement of a missing person,” he said.

The petitioner said his wife’s family extorted money from him for seven weeks.

“When I called my wife’s family to inform them about the disappearance of my wife, they first accused me of using her for money ritual; later, they turned me into ATM machine.

“Her brothers kept calling me to send them money to look for my wife.

“And I was very sure she was with them, but I always complied; and after milking me dry, my wife returned home,” he said.

Ndubuisi said that his wife was not trustworthy and that she had two children for different men but refused to tell him.

“I got a tip-off that my wife had two children for different men.

“When I confronted her, she first denied, but later confessed and brought the children to live with us,” he said.

He begged the court to dissolve the marriage because the love he had for her was no longer there.

Saraphina, a 31-year-old businesswoman, welcomed the divorce.

She, however, denied all the allegations against her. The woman said she was not adulterous and that she had been faithful to her marital vows.

The respondent accused her husband of battery.

“My husband turned me into a punching bag; he always told me he would kill me and bribe his way through.

“I live every minute of my life in fear. The scars all over my body are proofs of his abuse, anytime we had misunderstanding.

“He once beat me that I lost my two-month pregnancy,” she said.

Saraphina denied having any child before marrying her husband.

The respondent said that those children she brought to stay with them were her brother’s, adding that their mothers were late.

She urged the court to grant her husband’s wish by dissolving the marriage because she was no longer interested in the marriage.

President of the court, Mr Adegboyega Omilola, after listening to both parties, adjourned the case till October 4 for judgement.