A 52-year-old man, James Igboayaka has prayed a Grade ‘A’ customary court, sitting at Ojo to dissolve his 28 year old marriage to 47-year-old Ngozi on the alleged ground of infidelity.
Igboayaka, who gave evidence, before the customary court President, Bola Giwa on Tuesday said that he and his wife had been living together since 1984 before he formally paid her bride price just three years ago.
He however dragged his wife to court based on assumption of infidelity, saying although he had not caught his wife red-handed, that he saw her with her male friends who stay in the same house with him up to 8p.m.
According to Igboyaka, his wife had even ordered one of them to slap him if he asked him any questions.
He told the court that whenever he queried his wife while with her male friends, she would turn it to a fight, pointing it out that the wife had no regard for him.
Igboayaka, who said that they were blessed with seven children, told the court that, “my children misbehave so much they don’t care if am in the house or not. They just do whatever they liked,” adding that, “They cannot even fetch water for me to take my bath, not to talk of washing my dirty clothes.”
The reaction of one of one of his children in court gave credence to his claims as a 26-year-old woman, who is his eldest child told him in front of the court as he testified, that he should tell the court the truth and should not lie. The court President, Giwa, however took serious objection to the intervention, asking that the daughter be thrown outside and locked up in the court premises, for contempt.
Igboayaka, who was visibly shaken, while giving evidence, said that there was no more love and care in the marriage and that his life was being threatened, as his wife had predicted when he will die, but that he could not remember the date.
According to him, he married his wife, when she was barely 19 years old in 1984, adding that he did not see anything that attracted him to marry her, except for the urge of getting married and that it was his parents that got his wife for him.
He further added that when his first daughter finished secondary school, he bought her JAMB form, so that she could further her education, but after the exam, he didn’t know if she passed or not, as she refused to give him a specific answer, of whether she passed or not.
“Even after the mother took her away from home and the reverend father of our church asked her to bring her back, I still asked her what she wanted to do with her life because as a woman, if she didn’t go to school, she should be able to learn a trade.
When asked why four of his children, were not in school, he said he was still struggling to make money so he can send them to school. He added that if the court dissolves the marriage and grants him custody of the children, he would be able to provide for them and that his wife of 28 years could go back to her parents because “that is how it is done.”
Reacting to the matter, the court president said that he foresaw problem for Igboayaka, as he didn’t seem to be responsible, adding that the wife will not leave his house, until he provided her another accommodation, having wasted her life for the past 25 years.
He also said that he will not get judgment from the court, until he adequately takes care of his wife and also puts the children in school. The matter was adjourned till January 29, 2013, for further hearing.
