‘My mother in-law accused me of poisoning my hubby, …our children are not his’

A business woman has approached an Agege Customary Court in Lagos State, seeking the dissolution of her marriage over allegations of battery and threat to life.

The petitioner, Mrs A. Folake Ogbonnaya, told the court that her husband, Felix, was in the habit of beating her at the slightest provocation.

She further stated that her four-year-old marriage hit the  rock when her mother in-law moved in with them.

“I married my husband traditionally and also in court and his family were in support of our union though  my mother in law initially raised some objections.

“Trouble however started a few months after our union, when she accused me of trying to poison her son. I was pregnant with our first child then so I could not cook. I had to go and buy food for my husband at a food vendor. When she tasted the food she alleged that I had poisoned it.

“My husband believed her. His mother moved in with us after the birth of our first son and since then life has simply been miserable for me. I no longer have peace of mind and she dictates what should happen in my home.

“She would keep quiet while her son beats me. I have reported him to his sisters but they advised me to be calm.

“My parents have pleaded with me to end the marriage because they said they don’t want him to beat me to death. I have scars all over my body as a  result of his frequent beating. My children are not spared because his mother planted the idea in his mind that the children might not be his,” she told the court.

She asked the court to grant her custody of her two children on the grounds that they might be maltreated by her mother in-law.

“I want custody of my two children. My husband takes care of them but lately he has started complaining about their paternity. I have been faithful to him but he  has chosen to believe his mother” the petitioner said.

The respondent however was not present in court.

The matter was consequently adjourned till May 26.