You were never married, court tells lovers after 27 years of cohabitation

A Mapo Grade ‘A’ Customary Court in Ibadan told di­vorce-seeking lover, Mr Olanrewaju Adeniran and Fatima that they were never married for the 27 years they lived together because no dow­ry was paid.

In a report by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the President of the court, Mrs S.M. Akintayo stated in her judgment that native law and custom in Nigeria provided that for any marriage to be considered valid, the man must pay bride price to the parents of the wife.

Citing various sections of the law to support her judg­ment, Akintayo concluded that there was no marriage to be dissolved in the first place between Adeniran and Fatima as a result of absence of dowry.

She also said that other ba­sic necessities were not done to consider Adeniran and Fatima’s togetherness as a marriage.

“Merely asking whether Fatima loved Adeniran which Fatima’s father did was not enough to validate their to­getherness as a customary marriage.

“It is a wrong assumption to continue to believe that once there is a child or children be­tween a man and a woman, they are husband and wife or married.

“No, there is no marriage between them, they are only cohabiting, they are merely living together in the same house,” Akintayo said.

The court’s president, how­ever, granted an order of per­petual injunction restraining Fatima from further harass­ing, disturbing, intimidating and interfering in the life of Adeniran henceforth.

Earlier, Adeniran, a retired civil servant and a resident of Molade area in Ibadan had ex­plained that his estranged wife was an unrepentant trouble­maker and a nag.

Adeniran submitted that his wife had been detained on eight separate occasions as a result of her violent conducts and repulsiveness towards in-laws, tenants and neighbours in the community.

“My brother, who once ac­commodated us before I built my own house expelled us when he could no longer cope with Fatima’s ineptitudes.

“My lord, Fatima no longer allows me to touch her any­more, she often tells me that I’m smelling.

“Worst still, she vandalises home appliances at any slight­est provocation.

“She usually accuses me of womanising,” the petition­er said.

Fatima, a businesswoman had prayed the court not to put an end to their love.

She, however, argued that her husband was a socialite and an adulterer.

“Adeniran has no fewer than eight concubines and some of them even came around to give me gifts any­time we did naming ceremo­nies.

“In fact, it came to a point when Adeniran kept telling me that he wanted to marry another wife,” the respondent stated. (NAN)