Court dissolves 19-year-old marriage in Ibadan over ‘lack of cooperation’

An Idi-Ogungun Customary Court in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital on Thursday dissolved a 19-year-old marriage between a middle aged man, Mr. Taofeek Ajetunmobi and his wife Olayemi.
Taofeek had approached the court for dissolution of the marriage with Olayemi, blessed with three children, citing wife’s insincerity and lack of cooperation.

The complainant also described his wife as a talkative person and that his relationship with her was full of “deceit and insincerity.”
He said “I do not want any ugly occurrence because I have a hot temper; we have been living together like cat and rat since last year.
“The court should uphold my request so that peace could reign and both of us could live happily in our respective locations.”
But Olayemi in her response said that her husband hated her because of her inability to read the Qur’an or pray in Islamic way.

Olayemi told the court that she agreed to convert to her husband’s religion 19 years ago before the marriage, but could not cope with Islamic doctrines.
“I cannot read Qur’an or observe the daily five prayer times and other Islamic rites, but I go to church without the knowledge of my husband.
“I lied to my husband that I did not attend any church,” she said.
She pleaded with the court not to grant the request of her husband, saying “I still recognise him as my husband.”

President of the court, Mr. Mukaila Balogun who led other members of the court then granted the dissolution of the marriage and awarded custody of the first two children to the husband and the third child to the wife.
Balogun ordered the petitioner to pay N4,000 as monthly allowance to the respondent for the upkeep of the third child.

The court also ordered the petitioner to pay N12,000 and N5,000 as house rent and packing allowance respectively to the respondent