A Mapo Customary Court in Ibadan on Tuesday dissolved a 33-year-old marriage over the claim of threat to life made by a retired civil servant, Mr Jimoh Babatunde, against his wife, Jelilat.
Babatunde told the court presided over by Mr Henric Agbaje that Jelilat had made two attempts on his life and had even confessed to killing one of their four children.
“My lord, Jelilat confessed to have killed one of our four children in order to eventually eliminate me for reasons which I cannot actually tell.
“Secondly, she put some stuff into my food recently to hypnotise and make me be in servitude to her,’’ the petitioner said.
He said that his estranged wife had also tarnished his image and made him a laughing stock in their area.
Babatunde also described Jelilat as insolent, disobedient and lacked any care for him and his children.
“I did all I could to change her for the better by talking to her and reporting her to her parents, but nothing came out of it.
“Now, she wants to sniff life out of me,” Babatunde said.
However, Jelilat opposed the dissolution of the marriage and denied the allegations made by her husband.
The respondent said that if the marriage was dissolved, she had nowhere to go and desired to remain the mother of her children in her matrimonial home.
Jelilat pleaded with the court not to dissolve the union and promised to turn a new leaf.
Ruling on the divorce petition, Agbaje held that it was clear that the relationship between Jimoh and Jelilat had turned sour and was irreconcilable.
“The court frowns at any case of threat to life as the one currently been witnessed.
“It is abundantly clear that there is something cruel about Jelilat’s disposition, otherwise, no man would want to part ways with a 33-year-old union.
“In the interest of peaceful coexistence, the court has put an end to the union between both of you.
“Jelilat shall take custody of the last child aged eight years old and Babatunde shall pay N12,000 for accommodation and an addition N5,000 for the movement of Jelilat’s belongings,” he said. (NAN)