79-yr-old pastor seeks divorce over threat to life

A 79-year-old pastor, Tunde Gabi, has pleaded with a customary court sitting at the Agege Local Government to dissolve his 20-year-old marriage to his wife, Abosede. Gabi, of No 31, Ibari Street, Ifako, told the court he feared for his life, alleging Abosede had been issuing him threats. “She doesn’t respect me at all to […]

A 79-year-old pastor, Tunde Gabi, has pleaded with a customary court sitting at the Agege Local Government to dissolve his 20-year-old marriage to his wife, Abosede.

Gabi, of No 31, Ibari Street, Ifako, told the court he feared for his life, alleging Abosede had been issuing him threats. “She doesn’t respect me at all to the extent that she usually shouts at me even to the hearing of passers-by. She goes about destroying my image and telling people in the street that I have not been of financial help to her ever since we started living together.

“I have 10 children; four of them stay with me and my wife. My wife doesn’t like my children at all to the extent that she made it very obvious to them, and because of this, I segmented the kitchen. About three weeks ago, my wife destroyed the kitchen with a cutlass and chased me around the house with a knife. It is better to be alive without a wife than to be killed by one,” he said.

Abosede, 53, however, maintained she loved the children, who, she said, did not appreciate the love because she didn’t have any child for their father.

“My husband and I were living peacefully and happily until his children started living with us. I was the one that do cooking for the whole family, but decided to stop at some point because they wouldn’t assist me during in the kitchen. Because of this, my husband segmented the kitchen,” she said.

The petitioner’s counsellor, Alexander Okpako, said he advised his client to take the case to court. Okpako said he got a clear instruction from his client that all he wanted was the marriage to be dissolved. He added he had met with the children of the client who also insisted the marriage should be dissolved.

The court president, Mr Ikotun Taiwo Femi, advised the two parties to come to court during the next sitting with two close relatives before he gives judgment.

He adjourned the case till November 13, 2018 for further hearing.