My husband took away the cloth for my menstruation for ritual purpose —Wife

Wife: “My husband is diabolic. He took the clothe I used for my menstruation from the bucket where I soaked it for ritual purpose. I pray that you separate us.”

Husband: “She is morally bankrupt and fights me with broken bottles. She sells herbs soaked in dry gin and will soon introduce our son to alcohol if granted his custody.”

These were part of the evidences given by a couple at Oja Oba/Mapo Court C Customary Court, Mapo, Ibadan, Oyo State in a divorce suit brought by Fatima Akinyele against her husband, Afeez Akinyele.

Fatima claimed that Afeez consistently shirked his responsibility in the home.

The plaintiff stated that her husband was indifferent to her survival and that of their only child.

She, in addition, told the court that the defendant was a brute and that he dealt with her ruthlessly.

According to Fatima, Afeez always hit her on the spot where she was operated on when she had their child.

The plaintiff further explained that her husband was diabolic and that he took the clothe she used for her menstrual period for evil intention.

The plaintiff therefore prayed the court to put a stop to their relationship and grant her custody of their child but make the defendant responsible for his welfare.

Afeez agreed that they both go their different ways.

The defendant stated that he had not enjoyed his marriage to the plaintiff because she was promiscuous.

He said that Fatima was uncultured and that she fought with him with broken bottles.

He added that Fatima did not value education.

Shedding light on this, he explained that she kept their only child away from school for two years.

According to Afeez, while their son’s mates were in school learning, Fatima would keep their son in her stall where she sells herbs and concoctions soaked in dry gin.

Afeez expressing his fear stated that Fatima might introduce their child to alcohol at an early age.

Fatima in her evidence said, “My lord, I pray that you put an end to my 15-year-old marriage to Afeez today. I no longer love him.

“Afeez from the outset of our marriage proved himself a failure.

“He passed the bulk of his responsibility to his parents. His father was the one running our home financially while his mother supplied us food from her farm.

“My husband never gave me rest of mind. He would raise argument on trivial issues and we would end up fighting.

“Anytime we fought, he would target the spot where I was operated on when having our only child and would hit me there with his blows. I often bled after this, “the plaintiff said.

Fatima in addition said, “Afeez is diabolic. I left his house after he took the clothe I used for my menstruation for ritual purpose.

“I soaked the cloth in a bucket and was stunned to find both the cloth and bucket missing when I wanted to wash it.

“Confused, I looked around the whole house and even the surroundings but didn’t find both.

“Afeez walked in at this period with only the bucket which was empty. He told me he emptied the content in a spot nearby.

“I called the attention of an elderly neighbour who was always mediating in our crisis to the scene. We searched the spot for the cloth to no avail. It then occurred to me he wanted to use me for ritual.

“My lord, I moved out of his house after this and reported him to my grandfather who demanded that he came with the cloth. When he finally did it was without blood.

“Afeez came for our son five years after I left him and refused that I had access to him.

“He asked that I bought him a handset in other that I could communicate with him. I did, but he collected the phone from him and gave it to one of his wives.

“He also refused that I know his school.

“Afeez neglected our child. I was the one buying his stationery, clothes and body cream. Every month, I kept the sum of N3,000 with a woman in the neighbourhood as his pocket money.

“I once went to Afeez’s place to check on our son and he refused that I came in. We had a brawl after he removed his belt to beat me. I went for a bottle, broke it and threatened to stab him with it.

“Our son absconded from home and hid himself at my mother’s place after his father beat him mercilessly over a pardonable offence. He bore the marks of cane all over him (She presented his pictures as evidence).

“My lord, I pray the court separate us and grant me custody of our child so that I can take good care of him.

“I further plead that the court should make him responsible for his upkeep, education included,” she concluded.

Azeez in his testimony said: “Having Fatima out of my life is good riddance to bad rubbish. I never enjoyed our wedlock all the years she stayed with me because she’s promiscuous.

“My lord, I kept our child from her because she was always ill-advising him. He would become unruly whenever he returned from her.

“And for her menstruation cloth, Fatima knows what she said is not true. She knows I’m not diabolic and that I get irritated at the sight of a woman menstruating and this was exactly what I told her grandfather.

“Fatima’s mother failed in her duty to ensure her daughter’s marriage worked. She once came to pack her belongings from my house.

“I took our son from Fatima because she’s living a reckless lifestyle. She’s not bothered about our child’s education.

“I went to his school to check on him and was stunned to learn that he stopped attending school two years earlier.

“Angry, I made for her stall and there was the boy helping her to sell herbs and concoction soaked in dry gin.

“I took our child home and enrolled him in a school but she refused that I had rest. She was always coming to my house to create a scene and fight me.

“The last time we fought she broke a bottle and attempted to stab me with it but I took to my heels.

“My lord, if Fatima has custody of our son she will introduce him to alcohol.

“I implore the court to put him in my care so that I can raise him as a proper child,” the defendant concluded.

Giving his judgment, the court president, Chief Ademola Odunade, noted that their relationship had broken down totally.

Ruling, he pronounced their wedlock annulled.

Odunade granted custody of their only child to the plaintiff and ordered the defendant to be in charge of his welfare and education in particular.

The plaintiff was asked to grant the defendant access to their son any time he desired to.

Both were advised to maintain peace.

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