Asiata Oladejo, a woman from Ibadan, Oyo state, has appealed to a Mapo Grade A Customary Court to end her marriage following a distressing incident where her husband, Abidemi, abandoned her and their children during a robbery at their home, hiding in the toilet.
In a counterargument in response to her husband’s divorce suit, Oladejo recounted the ordeal, stating, “My Lord, the shock of the night armed robbers raided our house still haunts me. He hid in the toilet, leaving me and the children vulnerable to the armed robbers who wreaked havoc in our home.
When the thieves arrived around 1 am, my husband was nowhere to be found to protect us.
He only emerged from hiding in the toilet after the robbers had left. Despite this terrifying experience, he insisted that we continue living in that house,” she expressed.
Abidemi defended himself by alleging that his wife was ill-tempered, stating, “She comes to my shop unannounced to torment me. It is true that I hid in the toilet during the armed robbery. Despite our attempts to reconcile, she refused, claiming she was unnecessarily scared,” he explained.
He requested custody of their three children, emphasizing his role as a responsible father.
In her judgment, the President of the Court, Mrs S. M. Akintayo, granted an order restraining Oladejo from threatening, harassing, or interfering in the private life of Abidemi.
Akintayo awarded custody of the three children to Oladejo, noting her capability to care for them. She added that both parties were responsible for the children’s welfare and education, and mandated Abidemi to pay a monthly feeding allowance of N20,000 for the children’s upkeep.
She clarified that the union could not be considered a marriage under customary laws of Nigeria, thus, there was no marriage to dissolve between the couple. She emphasized that their union did not meet the customary marriage requirements in Nigeria.