LAGOS:
MY HUSBAND WANTS TO USE OUR CHILDREN FOR MONEY RITUALS
– Wife tells court
A Badagry Customary Court sitting at the City’s Town Hall on Friday dissolved a 14-year-old marriage on the grounds of irresponsibility and fetish acts by the husband .
Its president, Mr Shakirudeen Adekola, dissolved the marriage between Monsurat Jinadu, 35, and Ganiyu 40, following a petition by Monsurat, saying that Ganiyu was irresponsible and fetish.
He ordered that the dissolution should take effect from May 24, having observed that the marriage had irretrievably broken down.
“The marriage between the petitioner, Monsurat, and the respondent, Ganiyu is hereby dissolved from today May 24. ”
“They shall no longer be recognised as husband and wife and they shall be independent of one another.”
“The respondent shall be responsible for the upkeep of the children, including their education and health bill, and shall pay N5,000 monthly on each of the two children from the wedlock.”
“The custody of the children is hereby awarded to the petitioner, their biological mother.”
“Any party that is not satisfied with the judgment shall appeal to a court of higher jurisdiction within 30 days from today, May 23,” the president said.
The court president ordered the parties to maintain peace between themselves, their families and communities wherever they meet.
Both parties in the union consented that the marriage be dissolved.
Earlier. Monsurat who resides at Ganiu Mogaji Street, Check Point, Badagry, had pleaded with the court to dissolve her marriage over her husband’s irresponsibility, fetish acts, desertion, threat to life, lack of care and peace.
“My lord, my husband is not responsible; he once abandoned the house for a month without telling me his whereabouts.”
“He does not take care of the two children I have for him. I am the one responsible for their school fees and health bills.”
“He is not worthy to be called their father because Ganiyu denied fathering them.”
“He wanted to use them for money ritual. One day, he brought home a substance suspected to be black soap and a sponge, and ordered me to use them to bath the children by 1 a.m., for five days.”
“When he discovered that I did not use the soap and sponge, he ran away from home for six months and said he was not the father of the children,’’ she said.
Ganiyu, who lives at Zone 1, Checkpoint, Badagry, denied the allegations in his response.
@ Vanguard Newspaper
