An Ibadan-based woman, Nofisat Ramiu, has narrated how a concoction seller snatched her from her husband of many years because of her childlessness.
She told an Ilutitun Customary Court in Ibadan that she had gone to Nureni Ramiu, a concoction seller in a market in Ibadan, to buy concoctions to end her inability to get pregnant.
But unknown to her, Nureni had designs on her and schemed his way into snatching her from her husband.
She further alleged that he is refusing responsibility for her baby after getting her pregnant.
However, Nureni is seeking divorce from his new wife over her alleged deceit and troublesomeness.
He told the court: “When I met my wife, she was still married to her ex-husband and she told me she had no child and I gave her some concoctions to take which was meant to boost her fertility but she later came back to tell me she still saw her period.
“I then told her to tell her husband to see me but he refused to. He came only after he was told I wanted him to do a job for me.
“While discussing, he told me his wife was troublesome and that they were always at loggerheads. I tried all I could to help resolve their differences but all my efforts failed. He later abandoned her after they fought over an issue.
“I later proposed to her and she agreed to marry me. Her family members collected from me N4, 000 as her bride price.
“My lord, I rented an apartment for her shortly after we got married, but she refused to move out of the apartment rented for her by her ex-husband.
“Four months after we were married, she told me she was no longer my wife and I stayed away from her. Throughout the four months we only made love only twice. Two months later, she came to inform me she was pregnant and that I was responsible but I refused to take responsibility of the pregnancy. Then I realised she is deceitful in nature.
”She got me arrested by the police and we were asked to carry out a test which I discovered I couldn’t afford. She resorted to coming to fight me at my shop in the market.
“My co-traders who are elderly people made attempts at making peace between the two of us but all was to no avail. They appealed to me again to provide her with some amount of money to register at the hospital and I gave her N500 and warned her never to call me on the phone again.
“When she finally put to bed, she refused to hand over the baby’s placenta to me”.
But Nofisat denied the allegations.
“My lord, he’s lying,” she told the court.
“He sells concoction in the market and I became one of his customers after narrating my ordeal to him. I explained to him all the efforts I had made in having a baby for my husband but which proved abortive. He sold some concoctions to me which he stated would boost my fertility but they failed.
“We gradually became close and he asked me to help him look for a wife but I couldn’t get someone who fitted into the picture he painted. He later proposed to me and I rejected his proposal and reminded him I was another man’s wife.
“My ex-husband and I had a quarrel around this time and he stopped paying me a visit in the house he rented for me and failed to renew the rent.
“Alfa Nureni came on the scene again and offered to rent a new place for me which I agreed to. He started coming to sleep at my place every five days until he impregnated me.
“My lord, he went mad immediately I told him I was pregnant and told me to abort the pregnancy but I refused. He then took away all he bought to make me comfortable in the house and later put my apartment under lock.
“I went to report him at the police station and he was ordered to open the door. He neglected me throughout the time I was pregnant and refused to show up in the hospital until he was appealed to. He refused to take our baby’s placenta and warned me never to call him on phone.
“I handed over the placenta to him but he refused to take it. He has refused to take care of me and our baby after I was discharged from the hospital till date”.
The court adjoined the case till May 4.