A man, Adebisi, has taken his wife, Sadia, before the Grade A Customary Court, Mapo, Ibadan, Oyo State, seeking the dissolution of their marriage over alleged lack of love and regular fights.
Adebisi told the Saturday Tribune that he abducted Sadia from another man and they had both been living together for many years but she did not bear him any child.
Adebisi added that Sadia denied him the experience of parenting and still went ahead to make his life more miserable by battling him virtually all the time.
“I don’t love her anymore,” the plaintiff said.
He consequently requested the court to declare that they go their various ways.
Sadiat refused to divorce her.
She told me she was not barren and that she had suffered a miscarriage once.
The defendant said that the plaintiff caused her to engage in various fetish activities and then abandoned her.
Adebisi, giving evidence, said: “I met my wife in 2004 and we started dating.
When we met she was already married and lived with her spouse.
I told her to leave her spouse and she did.
“She came to live with me though I did not pay her bride price.
Because my wife is infertile, she has denied me the experience of parenthood.
“I am frustrated because I tried everything to make her pregnant and it was all for nothing.
My wife, instead of being sober and obedient, went to battling me virtually all the time.
I am tired of my marriage with my wife, my lord.
“I don’t love her any more.
I beseech this honourable court to declare us no longer husband and wife.”
“I further ask for an order restraining her from threatening and interfering in my private life;”
Sadia replied, “My lord, I have no desire to divorce my husband.
“It is true he did not pay my bride price when I left my first husband and came to live with him.
My husband lied about me being barren.
I have gotten pregnant by him once and unfortuately I miscarried.
He had introduced me to fetish behaviours against my will because of my circumstances.
“My husband is a cruel man.
“He ordered me to pack out of his house, under the pretext that there was an evil spirit living with us there.
Then he went from home, for I would not accede to his request.”
Delivering judgement, the court president, Mrs S.M. Akintayo, said the parties never had a legal marriage and no bride price was given.
“There was therefore no marriage to dissolve,” Akintayo said.
She commanded both sides to uphold the peace, the law and order.
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