A woman, Mutiyat Aliu has dragged her husband, Sulaimon Aliu before the Grade A Customary Court, Mapo, Ibadan, Oyo State on the accounts of irresponsibility, neglect and constant fight.
The plaintiff stated that the defendant cared less about her welfare and that of their children.
Mutiyat told the court that her husband hardly gave their children money for food while he refused to be committed to their education.
The plaintiff explained that she and her mother had been responsible for the children’s upkeep.
Mutiyat added that the only thing Sulaimon knew to do was to maltreat and humiliate her.
She stated that her husband fought her not only in the house, but also in the public.
According to the plaintiff, the defendant would beat her blue black and tear her clothes in public.
She added that he did not stop beating her even when she was pregnant which resulted in her pregnancy being threatened.
According to Mutiyat, she almost lost her pregnancies at such instances.
The plaintiff also said that the defendant once got angry over a minor issue and descended on her with punches.
Mutiyat said her husband did not let go until he removed her teeth with one of his blows which resulted in blood gushing out of her mouth.
The plaintiff stated that her mouth became swollen under a few seconds, leaving her writhing in pain.
Mutiyat told the court she moved to her parents’ house after he beat her and almost terminated her life while carrying the pregnancy of their last child.
The plaintiff stated that to her chagrin, her husband got married to her friend a few months after she moved out.
Mutiyat while stated that her union with her husband had obviously failed because her husband never loved her.
She thus entreated the court to put a stop to their relationship and grant her custody of their three children.
The plaintiff further pleaded that the court made her husband responsible for their upkeep.
Sulaimon did not come to court despite being served court summonses.
Mutiyat giving her evidence said, “My husband is a beast. He shattered my dream concerning marriage and left me dejected.
“The picture I nutured for years about the man I would get married to was that of a caring and loving husband. Someone who would dot on me, but this was not to be the case with my husband.
“My husband welcomed me into the marriage with severe beatings. I never enjoyed our wedlock for a day because he started beating me from the moment we contracted it.
“Sulaimon gave me no attention and created no opportunity for intimacy between us. We hardly discussed or enjoyed each other’s company like other couples do. He treated me like one of the furniture in the house.
“My husband never saw sense in whatever I said or did and would always criticize me.
“He would raise dust over insignificant issues, pounce on me, beat me and almost killed me.
“Sulaimon did not exercise any restraint even in the public. He did beat me on many occasions in the glare of many and tore my clothes, thus leaving me stark naked.
“My lord, my husband once hit me in the mouth during one of our fights and my upper teeth flew out. Blood gushed out of my mouth and it became swollen. I was writhing in pain and couldn’t eat for days.
“Sulaimon didn’t spare me even when I was pregnant. My pregnancies were threatened the three times I took in because he was always fighting me.
“The more our parents mediated in our differences, the worse my husband turned.
“I gave a deep thought to the happenings in our relationship and marriage and came to the conclusion it was better I moved out of his house alive than being carried out a corpse. If I die, Sulaimon will marry another wife and our children will suffer.
“I packed my belongings and left with the two children that our marriage was blessed with. I was then pregnant with our third child.
“I moved to my parents’ house and was there till I was delivered of our third child.
“My husband refused that I brought the baby to his house for naming ceremony. The ceremony was held at my parents’ place. Sulaimon refused to attend the occasion not to mention playing his role.
“It was his aunt who stood in his place and gave our son the name he bears today.
“My lord, my husband took another wife a few months after we started living separately, and to my chagrin, it was my friend.
“Sulaimon has failed to be alive to his responsibilities. He totally abandoned our children and passed the bulk of their responsibilities to me.
“I requested that he paid our first child common entrance fee but he refused. It was my mother who gave our son the money.
“Sulaimon again gave him no audience when he approached him for West Africa Examination Council (WAEC) fee. It was my mother who again came to his aid in order not to miss the deadline.
“My lord, my husband is comfortable but he has refused to wake up to his responsibilities.
“He hardly gives our children feeding allowance and when he does, it will not be more than N150 for a day. He gives the youngest N100.
“The eldest of our children wants to further his education, but my husband is not ready to contribute a dime towards this.
“There is a limit to what I can do for now, because my shop was of recent razed down by fire which gulped all the goods in it.
“My lord, I came to court, first that our marriage be legally dissolved. There is no point staying under the illusion that our union still exists. I want to move on with my life.
“Secondly, I pray the court to put our children in my care but make him responsible for their needs. He has abandoned his duty towards them long enough, “the plaintiff stated.
Ruling after she had heard the plaintiff, the court president, Mrs S.M Akintayo adjourned the case for further hearing