Court dissolves 18-year-old marriage over lack of care

A customary court sitting in Ake, Abeokuta, Ogun State, yesterday dissolved the 18-year-old marriage between Mr Tajudeen Adesola and his wife, Oluwakemi, over lack of motherly care for their child. Adesola, who dragged Oluwakemi to the court, said the woman left their marital home since 2015 and all appeals to her to return proved abortive. […]

A customary court sitting in Ake, Abeokuta, Ogun State, yesterday dissolved the 18-year-old marriage between Mr Tajudeen Adesola and his wife, Oluwakemi, over lack of motherly care for their child.

Adesola, who dragged Oluwakemi to the court, said the woman left their marital home since 2015 and all appeals to her to return proved abortive.

Adesola told the court that Oluwakemi was not providing care for their only child and, therefore, prayed the court to dissolve the marriage “in the interest of peace.”

He added that the woman had already re-married, hence, there was need to end his union with her legally.

Oluwakemi agreed that the court should separate them, but denied that she had remarried.

“I have not remarried although I left his house since 2015. The man he was referring to was just my helper. He assisted me when I was in dire need of help,” she said.

Oluwakemi alleged that Adesola plotted to kill her many times, but God delivered her.

“He sought the services of a herbalist to kill me. There was a time he rubbed something on his manhood and had sex with me and, later, I started bleeding. It was God that saved me,” she said.

Delivering judgment, the court president, Mrs A. O. Abimbola, held that there was no marriage between the two in the first instance, since no dowry was paid.

The court dissolved the relationship and asked both parties to always maintain peace.