An Osogbo Grade II Customary Court on Tuesday dissolved the 15-year-old marriage between Mutiat Asimiyu and her husband Saheed over constant beating.
In his judgment, the President of the court, Chief Bolarinwa Popoola, dissolved the marriage and held that the marriage was problematic with accusation and counter accusation bordered on distrust.
“The court, hereby, dissolve the marriage in favour of the petitioner,” he held.
Popoola awarded custody of two children, aged 12 and 10 to the father, while custody of the four-year-old child was awarded to the petitioner.
He ordered the respondent to give N2000 each for the upkeep of each of the three children through the court and granted him the right to see his children at anytime.
Mutiat, had urged the court to dissolve the marriage to her husband alleging constant beating and lack of peace.
“He beats me always. There was a time he travelled, when he came back, he came to my shop and said I should go home with him.
“When we got home, he said I should swear that when he travelled no other man touched me which I did without worry.
“But one day, I slept, he tied my legs and arms to the bed and woke me up, I realised I couldn’t move, so I asked him what have I done.
“He said he would sleep with me that way and get me pregnant and then go ahead to expose and disgrace me saying he did not know who impregnated me.
“I asked why he was doing that, he said it was because of the way I slept and he started beating me, the beating was too much that I had to jump from the stairs and runaway.
“I went to my family house, the next day he came to beg that my parents should resolve the problem and I move back home with him.
“So, I moved back, I did not know that he was putting something on his manhood to sleep with me.
“I caught him on one occasion, I took the substance and when he was asked why he was using it, he said his father gave it to him.
“But his father denied it. The main reason I have come to court is that, he stalks and trails me, on one of his attacks, he beat me, tore my clothes and took my phone and N27,250 cash.
“I arrested him with the police and my father begged me to release him as none of his relatives came to his rescue.
“I want to have peace and that is why I have come to court to dissolve this marriage,” she said.
Saheed, the respondent, said that their union was not 15-years but 19 years and denied having carnal knowledge of his wife with charm.
“I wanted to travel to Abuja and I left my wife in the care of an Alfa who was present at our child’s naming.
“I told him to help me monitor my wife and that I would be calling her through him.
“When I called, the Alfa told me that my wife had taken to a strange lifestyle and that I should not stay long before coming so that I would come and monitor her movements.
“So, I came home, but I did not tell her I was coming, I went to see the Alfa who mentioned the names of the men she was seeing.
“I got home and asked her about it and that she should swear she had no affair while I was away.
“She said before she would answer, she wanted to know who told me and I told her it was not important.
“But she said she knew and went out of the house to the Alfa’s house, I followed her and both of them started exchanging words to the extent that she asked the Alfa to swear that he did not make advances at her.
“We fought at the Alfa’s house because I told her she could kill for not telling me about what was happening, that was when she left for Lagos.
“I wanted to collect my children’s clothes from her because the older ones are living with me, so I followed her when I saw her, it is true I collected her phone, but I have given it back to her.
“I did not collect money from her and I did not tie her to bed, she wants to implicate me. I also did not use anything on my manhood.
“I am not ready to leave her because of my children, if she does not think about that, I do. It is because of her unholy ways that she wants to leave me,” he said. [NAN]