‘My wife instigated our children to beat me’

The president of an Oja-Oba, Mapo, customary court in Ibadan, Chief Ademola Odunade, has dissolved a 23-year-old marriage between Olumeka Chukwudi and his wife, Ayodotun, over allegations of threat to life and extramarital affairs. Ayodotun had approached the court to end her marriage with Chukwudi, citing as reasons incessant battery and lack of care she […]

The president of an Oja-Oba, Mapo, customary court in Ibadan, Chief Ademola Odunade, has dissolved a 23-year-old marriage between Olumeka Chukwudi and his wife, Ayodotun, over allegations of threat to life and extramarital affairs.

Ayodotun had approached the court to end her marriage with Chukwudi, citing as reasons incessant battery and lack of care she alleged her husband had subjected her and their children to.

“For about seven years, Chukwudi has abandoned the responsibility of catering for the children to me. On a number of occasions, the children had been sent away from school as they could not pay their fees and I had to suffer hell in the process of paying.

“Worse, Chukwudi beat me at will and was always destroying my breakable plates. In fact, he used to chase me about in the house with a broken bottle, threatening my life. He even once came to my shop, throwing stones at me.

“When his threats became frightening, I got him arrested by the police. Chukwudi is such an irresponsible husband, so please separate us,” Ayodotun cried.

Chukwudi, a businessman who responded that his wife had had asked his first two children to gang up to beat him, told the court that his greatest regret in life was his marriage to the plaintiff.

“My lord, when Ayodotun’s trouble got to its climax, she told two of our children, who are 21 and 19 years old, to batter me. 

“It all began when I started telling Ayodotun to stop cheating on me. Various shapes of men used to come and look for her in her matrimonial home without any tangible explanation to me of who they are.

“Her secret lovers usually came in the night, between 11pm and 12pm, claiming they wanted to buy recharge cards from her. For so many years, I never saw my wife at home in the afternoon or evening except in the midnight when she and her secret lovers would be returning from their escapades.

“The recent one she did was when a car brought her home at about 12.05am. I saw the car dropping her. I became so sad that I suffered depression and I left home for two months. I have always catered for the children’s education and welfare,” Chukwudi argued.

Delivering his judgment, Chief Odunade expressed sadness that the society was undergoing a terrible experience in moral decadence, especially among husbands and wives.

He also condemned a situation whereby a wife would instigate her children against their father to the extent of beating him up.

“The union between Ayodotun and Chukwudi has ceased to be a peaceful coexistence. Ayodotun shall take custody of the four children produced by the union, while Chukwudi shall pay a monthly allowance of N12,000 for the children’s upkeep, in addition to being responsible for their education and other welfare,” he said.

He also ordered the defendant to give Ayodotun the sum of N3000 for removal of her property from his house.