A 48-year-old trader, Mr Fatai Olaiya, on Monday asked a Lagos Island Customary Court to dissolve his marriage of 14 years to his wife, Kafayat, 42, because of her unruly behavior.
“My wife has become ungovernable in the home. She closes from her shop at 7.00 p.m and goes to her mother’s house, only to return home at 10.00 p.m., and most nights, I go to bed without food,” Fatai said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the couple’s marriage who live at No. 3, Ogundairo St., Lagos Island, is blessed with three children.
Fatai also told the court that Kafayat had become disrespectful to his family.
“She has no respect for my parents and does not even care for our children.
“We hardly spend a month together without having misunderstandings; there was a day that she hit me on the head with a bottle, causing me head injuries.
“I ran to report her to her mother with blood gushing out of my head.” he said.
Fatai said that he was fed up with the marriage and needed a divorce.
“I no longer wish to be married to my wife. I want the custody of my children because I have always been taking care of them,” the petitioner said.
In her testimony, Kafayat told the court that when she met Fatai, he had two wives and five children.
“I had a child from a different relationship before marrying him.
“Anytime I became pregnant, he will urge me to have an abortion. At a stage, I reported him to my parents because I thought I will die if I should continue having abortions.
“He denied paternity of our last child and I had to take care of myself during the pregnancy and delivery,” Kafayat told the court.
The respondent explained that her frequent visits to her mother’s shop were because of their children, who stayed there after school.
“I go to my mother’s shop because our children go to her shop whenever they closed from school,” she said.
The respondent said that the cause of their current misunderstanding was because she brought her grandchild from her first child, to live with them in the house.
Kafayat also told the court that she was tired of the marriage and wanted a divorce.
The president of the court, Chief J.O. Ogunmola, adjourned the case to Jan. 30 for further hearing. (NAN)
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