A woman, Ayisat Surajudeen, has given evidence at Grade A Customary Court, Mapo, Ibadan, Oyo State, against her husband, Tajudeen Surajudeen, whom she accused of irresponsibility and constant physical abuse.
Ayisat, who dragged her husband to court for divorce said Tajudeen, apart from beating her, went away with some of her goods in her shop and he also stole her money.
The plaintiff pleaded with the court to end their union and grant her custody of their children.
According to Ayisat, Tajudeen failed to play the expected role towards their children and passed the buck of his responsibility to her.
She thus prayed the court to mandate him to be in charge of their children’s welfare giving priority to feeding, education and health care.
The plaintiff also pleaded that the court restrained him from harassing or threatening her at home or in her shop.
Tajudeen was not in court.
Ayisat, giving her evidence said: “My husband and I had a traditional wedding and he paid only three naira as my bride price.
“Our marriage is blessed with three children and we spent the early years of our marriage in Ilorin.
“My lord, I must confess that the impression I had about marriage before going into it was totally different from what my experience is.
“Tajudeen has no respect for the womenfolk. He started beating me early in our marriage.
“There was no intimacy between my husband and he refused that I had a say in the decisions made in our home and treated me like one of the pieces of furniture.
“Tajudeen was never patient with me. He always sought every opportunity to beat me not minding that our children were around and watching.
“He was a failure with regards to his responsibilities towards me and our children. Our children and I were sincerely better off without him.
“I laboured daily to make ends meet. The feeding, clothing and education of our children became my duty, while all that my husband did was enforcing authority in the home.
“I woke up one day and decided to move out of my husband’s house as a result of his excessive beatings.
“I took our children along with me and we relocated to Ibadan.
“I got a comfortable accommodation and put my past behind me. I also rented a shop where I displayed my wares.
“My lord, Tajudeen to my chagrin came to my new place of abode, beat me blue black and went away with some of my property.
“At another time, he broke the door to my room while I was far away from home and packed my belongings a second time.
“My husband came to my shop last month and went away with my wares and a meaningful amount that I kept in the shop.
“My lord, my husband has disrobed me of all I have in my possession and left me naked.
“I find it hard these days to meet our children’s needs especially in the area of feeding and education.
“I plead that the court officially put an end to our relationship.
“I also pray for the custody of our children, but I beg the court to rule that he should be fully responsible for their welfare.
“I further ask that the court restrain him from threatening and harassing me in my house and shop.”
The court president, Mrs S.M Akintayo adjourned the case and ordered that a fresh hearing notice be issued and served the defendant.
READ ALSO FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
