Court dissolves 17-year-old marriage over secret house built by wife

Lagos - A Lagos Island Customary Court on
Wednesday dissolved the 17-year-old
marriage between a transporter, Haruna
Amunikoro, and his wife, Alimotu, after he
complained that his wife built a house
without informing him.
Granting the husband's request, the court
President, Mr Awos Awosola, said that the
effort of the court to reconcile the parties
had failed, as Amunikoro insisted on divorce.
``The marriage between the two parties is
hereby dissolved with effect from today in
accordance with the Lagos State Customary
Court Law, 2011, Order 3, Rule 7, as
amended.
``The custody of the first child and only son,
Anus, 15, is awarded to the father while that
of the two girls, Simiyat, 10; and Aishat, 7,
remains with the wife.
``The petitioner should pay the children's
feeding allowances of N10,000 on a monthly
basis through this honourable court and
should also be responsible for the children
school and hospital bills.
``However, both parties are granted
unhindered access to the child/children at
any reasonable time of the day,'' he ruled.
Awosola also ordered the petitioner to give
the respondent N250,000 compensation
within seven days of the judgment with
which to start her new life.
Amuniloro, 42, who resides at No. 91/93
Odunfa St., Lagos Island, in his petition, told
the court that his wife, a trader, bought a
plot of land in Ikorodu and built a bungalow
on it without letting him know.
``My wife has also started giving out tricycle
and motorcycle to riders and they pay for
them on installment, which is the same
business that I do.
``I have warned her severally to stop the
business but she would not listen. On two
occasions she has stabbed me with a kitchen
knife and a scissors.
``My wife is not sincere with me. She hides
so many things about herself from me. I
cannot cope with her secretive ways any
more, please separate us,'' he pleaded with
the court.
Alimotu, who did not deny the allegations,
said that she started being secretive with her
husband
because of the sudden change in his
behaviour and his infidelity.
She told the court that their marriage which
was once blissful took a different turn in
2012 when they rented their own apartment.
``We were staying in my husband's family
house before we rented our own apartment
in 2012, since then my husband has been
unfaithful to me.
``He brings different kinds of women into our
matrimonial home and sleeps with them on
our bed.
``Whenever I confronted him, he beats me.
On three occasions my husband beat me to a
pulp and stripped me naked.
``I joined him in doing the same business
because it is a lucrative one, but since I
started it, I have had no rest of mind,'' she
said.
Alimotu, who had consistently prayed the
court to reconcile them as she still loved her
husband, however, pleaded with the court to
dissolve the marriage without further delay.
``Since I have been begging my husband and
his family for so long and nothing positive
have come of it, please dissolve the marriage
so I can go on with my life,'' she said.