‘I feed him, but he sold our property, flogged me, threatened to take a new wife’

A woman in her 40s, Funmilayo Isijola, has approached Oja Oba/Mapo Court C Customary Court, Mapo, Ibadan, Oyo State, seeking that it abort her 15-year-old marriage to her husband, Sunday Isijola.

Funmilayo in her suit complained of constant beating and public embarrassment by the husband.

She pleaded with the court if her prayer was answered to award her custody of their children and mandate her husband to be responsible for their feeding, education and general welfare.

Sunday did not agree to claim. The defendant, who stated that he still loved his wife appealed to the court to help him beg her.

“My lord, I’m tired of my husband’s constant beatings. I have spent a fortune treating injuries sustained when he beats me.

“My husband not only fights and punches me at home, he also does so in the public. At times he would remove his belt and flog me like a goat in the presence of our neighbours and passers-bye who often come to my rescue.

“He suddenly stopped eating my food. No matter what effort I put into preparing him a sumptuous meal, he would refuse to eat.

“He neglected me and our children and never cared about our welfare. He gave our children in particular no attention and took to returning home late.

“I called his attention to the way he was maltreating me; he got angry and has since then threatened to take a new wife.   I later discovered it was his mother who instructed him to stop eating my food,” she stated.

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“My lord, he suddenly resigned from his job without discussing the issue with me and enrolled in a seminary. Survival thereafter became difficult while the responsibility of sustaining the home automatically fell on me.

“We were virtually eating from hand to mouth while I shouldered our children’s education.

“Seeing how hard things were, my husband sold some of our property without my knowledge and refused to disclose how much he got from them or what he spent the money on.

“He, of recent, started accusing me of infidelity without having a proof and has ceased to let peace reign in the home.

“My lord, what I want is a clean cut from my husband. I pray the cut to separate us, hand over our children to me and make him responsible for their upkeep, “Funmilayo said.

“I don’t want my wife to divorce me, “Sunday told the court.

“I love my wife while I also don’t want our children to suffer as a result of broken home. I pray the court to please help me beg her,”  the defendant pleaded.

Giving his judgment, the court president, Chief Ademola Odunade ruled that their union is dissolved and granted custody of their three children to the plaintiff.

The defendant was mandated to be responsible for the feeding, education and health care of their children. According to the court, he’s to pay the sum of N10, 000 as their children’s feeding allowance.