‘After impregnating me, he moved from house to house to avoid me’

A woman, Sakirat  Osundeyi, has sued for divorce at Oja Oba/Mapo Grade C Customary Court, Mapo, Ibadan, Oyo State on the accounts that her husband, Tope Osundeyi was always beating her. She added that he is irresponsible and a liar.

“When I met my husband, he promised heaven and earth, but till date he has not fulfilled any of his promises.

“He impregnated me early  in our courtship and disappeared into the thin air.

“I got rid of the pregnancy when I couldn’t locate him.

“Our path crossed  again about a year after and we went into another  relationship.

“I got pregnant for him again and visited his place for the first time. The moment he was aware that I knew where he was staying, he moved out of the place.

“From then he has been moving from one house to the other. He kept lying and giving me reasons why I couldn’t visit him at home, Sakirat said.

“He is not responsible and never cared for me throughout the time I was carrying his baby.

“After I had the baby, I rented an apartment at the rate of N42,000 per annum.  He never gave me a dime  as his contribution towards it, but  he was always coming there to eat and sometimes spent  days with me. He had some of his clothes kept in my place.

“I later learnt that four other women had children for him and none of them was living with him.

“There were times we fought over his nonchalant attitude towards my welfare and that of our child.

“He was in the habit of drinking Dry Gin, and when he was high, he would pounce on me, kick and punch me and also tear off my clothes.

“On many occasions, he had left me with a swollen face and deep cuts on my head and body.

“A day before I came to court to sue for divorce, we had a misunderstanding.  He became  wild after gushing down  a bottle of Dry Gin. He threw the bottle at me and  beat the hell out of me. He tore off my clothes and disfigured my face. I called a photographer  to take my picture which I have  brought  to court today as  part of my evidence. I also brought along the empty bottle of the Dry Gin. (She presented both to the court president).

“I want to live and be there for my child. If I continue in this marriage, he will kill me. I, therefore , pray that you separate us, “she pleaded.

The defendant refuted all his wife had said, agreed to the dissolution of their marriage  and the custody of their child being  awarded to her.

“All she has said is a lie,” he said.

“I gave her money to take care of herself and the baby during pregnancy and also gave her N25,000 as my contribution towards her house rent.

“She is free to go, but I plead with the court to please allow me to  carry my radio and take my clothes from her apartment, “he  stated.

The court president, Chief Ademola Odunade, while listening to the couple observed that the love between them has waned. He, therefore, ruled that their marriage be dissolved and granted custody of the child to the plaintiff.

He further ordered  that the defendant pay the sum of N4,000 monthly as their child’s feeding allowance and also be responsible for his education and health care.