‘My pastor-hubby abandoned me the day he brought a whore into his ministry’

A woman, Kafaya Moses,  has approached  the Oja Oba/Mapo Grade C Customary Court, Mapo, Ibadan, Oyo State, seeking the dissolution of her marriage  to Odeyemi Moses.

Kafaya sought divorce on the grounds of battery and abandonment by her husband of 15 years.

She also prayed the court to grant her custody of their four children.

“My husband felt  fulfilled and believed the day had  ended well only when he beat me.

“He  did not only beat me, but also tore my clothes and sometimes hit me with dangerous objects.

“Our children and I, on many occasions,  engaged in marathon fast since he failed to provide us with food.

“The children’s education is no more his priority.  I pay their school fees and provide them with they need  for their  schooling.  Many times, they go to school on empty stomach which affect their level of concentration in class. As a result, their performance in school in the last two years has  been poor, Kafaya  said.

“My husband and I had a lovely relationship and our marriage was a blissful one until the whore he brought into his ministry tore our home apart.

“He told me God asked him to start a ministry and  like any reasonable  woman, I gave him the needed support  to actualize the vision.

“Things were going on well and the congregation was  increasing gradually. Then, one day, he brought home a woman whom he said  would be assisting him in the ministry.

“I received her with open heart. But her  coming into  the lives of my husband and I  brought about  a strain in our relationship and aborted the bliss in our marriage, “she stated.

“What  initially caught my attention was the change in my husband’s attitude. He was never used to staying  out late. But this changed. He started coming home late and was always using his activities in church as an excuse.

“I complained and we argued over this on many occasions, but he failed to change.

“He neglected me and the children. There were times he would not come home for days and would feel less concerned about our survival.

“Anytime I asked him for food allowance, he would beat me up and tear my clothes into shreds.

“I was later informed he was having an affair with the woman.

“ When I confronted him,; he went irate and beat me blue-black.

“He finally left home and moved in with his mistress who  he’s now married to, “she concluded.

Odeyemi agreed to the plaintiff’s plea for divorce, but disagreed that the children’s custody be granted her.

He also refuted the allegations leveled against him by  his wife

“She’s a liar; and I have often told her  that every liar will end up in hell fire, “he said.

“There was never a time I abandoned my responsibility as the  breadwinner in the home.

“I feed and clothe my children and see to their education, but she was never satisfied or contented with all I did.”

Odeyemi brushed over the  the allegation  that he had an affair and was married to her assistant in church.

“My wife is troublesome and difficult to live with, but as a man of God, I have learnt to be patient with her.

“I went to the mountain top for prayers and was there for days. On my  return, I met an empty home.

“She left with our children and her belongings. She also took my things with her.

“I reported her to her parents, but they did nothing about it.

“I’m fed up with her, she can go, please separate us, “the plaintiff said.

The court president, Chief Ademola Odunade, after listening to both parties, adjourned the case till May 2, and ordered that they come to court with their children on the adjourned date.