Chief Ademola Odunade, the President of a Mapo Customary Court in Ibadan, on Thursday dissolved the eight-year-old marriage between Adedolapo Aderibigbe, an estate surveyor and wife, Mayowa, over adultery and threat to life.
Odunade, who said the issues of infidelity and threat to life in marriages were assuming a more worrisome dimension, said there was the need for spouses to fear God in their relationships.
“In the interest of peaceful living, the union between Adedolapo and Mayowa has ceased to be.
“Custody of the three children produced by the union is granted to Mayowa while Adedolapo shall pay a monthly feeding allowance of N12,000 for the children’s feeding in addition to being responsible for their education and other welfare needs,” the arbitrator said.
Reacting earlier to his wife’s accusation of battery and threat to life, Adedolapo told the court that his wife was merely hiding under the disguise of catering as a profession to fornicate.
The respondent, who did not refute the allegation of battery against him, contended that Mayowa had often informed him that she would one-day handover the three children to their real father.
“My lord, Mayowa’s adulterous lifestyle is often the cause of our disagreements and she knows that I wouldn’t tolerate it.
“Sometimes, she prefers to stay out in the company of her concubines.
“In fact, I recently caught Mayowa red-handed with a man on top of her, but she publically knelt down for me in front of a crowd of people, asking for forgiveness and never to return into prostitution again.
“I am happy that Mayowa is parting ways with me.
“She is such a troublesome wife no man should ever pray to have,” Adedolapo stated.
But Mayowa had insisted that her husband was threatening her with dangerous objects.
“I had already given birth to three children before I came to the realisation that my life might not be secure in the home of Adedolapo due to the constant beatings from him.
“He usually begins his acts of violence at midnight, attacking me with all sorts of dangerous objects such as knife, broken bottle, sticks and so on and does not leave me until he inflicts injuries on me.
“Worst still, Adedolapo monitors my affairs about in town which doesn’t give me rest of mind.
“Besides, Adedolapo derives pleasure in threatening to take my life at any moment.
“My parents usually plead with him not to carry out his threat and our neighbours are tired of intervening in our quarrels,” Mayowa said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the couple lives at Apete area of Ibadan. (NAN)