An Ile-Tuntun Customary Court sitting in Ibadan, on Tuesday dissolved the 27-year-old marriage between one Abideen Adebayo and his estranged wife Sherifat, over battering.
Adebayo, who sued for the dissolution of the marriage, had told the court that Sherifat and two of their four children were in the habit of brutalising him.
“Sherifat is such a disobedient and troublesome woman and has repeatedly shown she is not to be a good homemaker.
“Due to her constant nagging, Sherifat abandoned my home for the past six years, but visits at Christmas.
“On Dec. 25, 2020, Sherifat instigated her two senior children to join her in brutalising me.
“I had to invite the police and they were arrested,’’ he said.
The petitioner also told the court that his estranged wife was fond of going to his office to cause trouble.
Adebayo tendered a video recording of his last December bashing at the court.
In her defence, Sherifat, who did not deny allegations levelled against her consented to the suit, but told the court that Adebayo did not care about herself and their children.
“Adebayo has played no role in the education of our four children as I had to borrow money to send them to school.
“Moreover, he destroyed my four sewing machines.
“Adebayo was the first to attack me when I arrived at his home on Dec. 25, 2020 when he tore my clothes,’’ she stated.
In her own testimony, the first child of the family corroborated Sherifat’s submission and said her father refused to show any interest in her education because she refused to wash her step-mother’s menstrual pad.
“My father told me that if I refused to wash his second wife’s menstrual pad, he would not pay my school fees and he did not,’’ she said.
Delivering judgment, the President of the Court, Chief Henry Agbaje, condemned the battering of a father by his children and warned the children and their mother to refrain from such disrespectful action.
In dissolving the union, Agbaje directed the four children to stay with whoever pleased them out of the parents since they were all grownups.
He, however, ordered Adebayo to continue to be responsible for their education and other welfare.
