My jobless husband steals my money to smoke Indian hemp; has gone to jail 3 times —Wife

He’s jobless and always found in the company of thugs. He steals my money and smokes Indian hemp like a chimney. He has gone to jail thrice.”

“She’s promiscuous and has five lovers. She brings her lovers home and sleeps with them in the presence of our children. I once caught her sitting on the laps of one them.”

These were a part of the evidence given by a couple, Yetunde Olabanji and Abdulai Olabanji at Oja Oba/Mapo Court C Customary Court, Mapo, Ibadan, Oyo State.

Yetunde had approached the court, seeking that it stopped the 16-year-old relationship between her and her husband.

The plaintiff alleged irresponsibility, battery and theft as part of her reasons for wanting to divorce her husband. She added that he smokes Indian hemp and threatens her with dangerous objects any time they fought.

Yetunde implored the court if her prayer was answered to grant her custody of the two children their union is blessed with and make him responsible for their upkeep.

She further entreated the court to restrain him from coming to harass or fight her in her place of residence or work.

Abdulai agreed to divorce stating that he was no longer interested staying married to her.

After he had heard both parties, the court president, Chief Ademola Odunade adjourned the case till December 18, and ordered them to come on the adjourned date with their children and parents.

“My lord, I’m no longer interested in staying married to my husband because he’s morally debased and our children will soon take after him if care is not taken, “Yetunde said.

“Abdulai moves with bad company and he is full of vices. He’s jobless and loafs around with his friends who are thugs.

“He smokes Indian hemp like a chimney and fills our apartment with the smell. He gets high after smoking and starts misbehaving. He sends our children to buy cigarette and they imitate his smoking gestures. Again, the environment where our children are raised is not decent.

“My husband is a criminal and has been jailed thrice. The first time he went to jail, he spent a year and half there. The second time he was sentenced to two years imprisonment and the third time, two and a half years.

“Two months after he was released after serving the third jail term, he and some others were accused of breaking into a shop.

“My lord, I go about with my head bowed because Abdulai has turned me into a laughing stock in our neighbourhood,” the plaintiff said.

She went on:”I work hard to make a living but my husband frustrates my efforts by stealing my money. Any time I challenge him, he fights me with dangerous objects. The last time we fought, he almost cut off my ear with the sharp edge of a broken bottle.

“I got frustrated and reported him to his mother but she took sides with him. The money was later found with him.

“My lord, Abdulai has made a mess of my life and our union. I’m here today to call it quits with our marriage. My lord, I pray that you separate us and award me custody of our two children so as to raise them up properly. I also pray the court to restrain him from coming to threaten or fight me in my house or work place,” she concluded.

On his evidence, Abdulair said: “My lord, Yetunde is a slot. She’s shameless and doesn’t deserve to be called a wife. I, hereby, state before this honourable court that I’m also no more interested in her and our marriage.

“My lord, Yetunde lied that I was a convict. I was not sentenced to jail but remanded in prison.

“While away from home, Yetunde engaged in extra-marital affairs and didn’t stop even when I was back. I have woken her up often times in the night to counsel her on this practice but she refused to change.

“Our children told me she was in the habit of bringing to our matrimonial home strange men who she slept with in their presence.”

Bringing out a paper, Abdulai stated that:”My lord, I have on this piece of paper names of her lovers. They are five in number and known to her father. I know only three of them.

“The first one on my list is A.Y. He was the one who sat in my stead as her husband during her mother’s burial. My family members felt slighted and embarrassed, but held their peace.

“My wife also dated Baba Saki, an herbalist who is a tenant in her parents’ house. The herbalist’s wife on getting to know about Yetunde’s illicit affair with her husband fought with her and both were later arrested and locked up in the cell. It was my parents and I who secured her bail.

“Baba Saki who had spent quite a lot on her during their affair got frustrated, lured her to Ijebu and there afflicted her with juju. She suddenly became sick and we spent a fortune on her before she regained her health.

“Her third lover is ‘Small Doctor’, an okada man who happens to be my friend.

“My lord, another lover of Yetunde is Ikubesi, her friend’s elder brother. Her friend was shocked to learn she was dating her brother and reported her to my family members. She later stopped relating with her.

“The last is Ila, a transporter, who was regularly dishing out money to her every time he slept with her.

“I complained to my mother I was fed up with my wife and wanted to divorce her, but my mum stood against divorce.

“My father in-law once demanded to see me as a result of the differences between my wife and I.  I felt reluctant going but was persuaded by my mother who promised to go with me.

“My lord, as I opened the door to his sitting room and took the first step in, I caught my wife and Small Doctor in a compromising state. She was sitting on his laps. She was shocked to see us and I left the scene immediately.

“Rather than being remorseful, she started bragging that she would divorce me.

“I put a restrain in my relationship with Yetunde seeing that my life was no longer safe with her. But my lord, she took to fighting me any time she sees me with another woman.

“She once roughened my shirt and fought me because of this and called her father on the phone. He rushed to our house and without hearing the side of my story slapped me twice.

“I was served a court summon a week later.”