A man who wanted to divorce his wife was told by a court that they were never legally married
He accused her of being violent and unfaithful, while she accused him of being irresponsible and abusive
The court awarded custody of their four children to the wife and ordered the husband to pay for their upkeep
A man who wanted to end his 22-year marriage has been told by a court that he was never legally married to his wife.
Abayomi Oreyemi had asked a Mapo Grade A Customary Court in Ibadan to dissolve his union with Basirat Oreyemi, accusing her of being violent and unfaithful.
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He said that his wife had a lover named Baba Aliya, who often dropped her at his house and even beat him up when he confronted them.
He also said that his wife arrested him with the police for no reason and did not respect him or his family.
Basirat Oreyemi, however, denied the allegations and said that her husband was the one who was irresponsible and abusive.
She said that he did not pay her bride price, did not attend her parents’ funeral, did not support her during childbirth and did not contribute to their children’s education.
She said that he also broke into her bedroom when she was away and damaged her door. She showed the court the evidence of the broken door.
The court’s president, Mrs S.M. Akintayo, ruled that there was no marriage to be dissolved between the couple, because they did not follow the customary rites of marriage.
She said that for a marriage to be valid, there must be payment of bride price, formal handover of the bride and presentation of gifts. She said that none of these were done in their case.
She awarded custody of their four children to Basirat Oreyemi and ordered Abayomi Oreyemi to pay N25,000 monthly for their upkeep. She also restrained him from threatening, harassing or interfering with her private life.
