‘My husband threatened me with juju, threw me out in the dead of the night’

A woman, Rokibat Akeem, has dragged her husband, Jimoh Akeem, before Grade A Customary Court, Mapo, Ibadan, Oyo State, on the accounts of irresponsibility, misbehaviour and battery.

Rokibat added that he became fetish and wild after he joined the OPC and took to threatening her.

The plaintiff stated that living with her husband had been a harrowing experience. She, therefore, implored the court to dissolve their wedlock and grant her custody of their 5-year-old child, but make him responsible for his upkeep.

Jimoh was absent in court despite being served court summonses.

Rokiat told the court, “My lord, if I had known that my husband would change his ways after our wedding I wouldn’t have married him.

“He took to clubbing shortly after we got married and changed from the person I used to know.

“Jimoh started drinking, womanising and keeping late nights.

“He would drink himself to a pulp and start to misbehave when he returned home.

“My husband would raise argument on trivial issues and descend on me with punches. This gradually became our pattern of living.

“Jimoh always complained of paucity of fund. He would refuse to give me money for food, but would go to the club and lavish money on women and waste the rest on alcohol.

“The more I complained, the more he beat me.

“His behaviour degenerated when he started sending me out of the house late at night.

“Our neighbours always came to my rescue whenever he did that. They would take me into their apartment and offer me a place to sleep for the night.

“These gradually got fed up with the cat and dog lifestyle my husband and I were living and later shut their doors against me.

“My husband once threw me out deep in the night after beating me. He left me in the cold on the street. I had no other choice than to stay with the watchmen throughout the night.

“I decided to move out of his house after this incident. I was separated from him for months, but I moved back to his house after my family and his mediated in our differences.

“My husband’s attitude changed towards me for the better after we were reconciled and peace reigned. But this was short lived.

“Jimoh Joined the OPC and became fierce and wild. He also resumed his habit of beating and sending me out of the house.

“He threw his weight all over the place and dare that I complained about his riotous lifestyle.

“He also started threatening me with fetish and scary objects in the house.

“He asked me to leave his house if I was fed up with his misbehaviour and I did for safety sake.

“My lord, I came to court today for divorce, but more importantly, to secure the custody of our only child.

“My husband is irresponsible and has failed in his duty towards our child.

“I also implore the court to compel him to be fully responsible for our child’s upkeep,” she pleaded.

Ruling after listening to the plaintiff, the court president, Mrs S.M Akintayo, adjourned the case till August 8 and ordered a fresh hearing notice be issued and served on the respondent.