Court dissolves 4-year-old marriage over paternity dispute

An Ado-Ekiti Customary Court on Wednesday dissolved the 4-year-old marriage between Mrs Tolulope Akinnusotu and her husband, Akinola, over doubt on the paternity of their only child.

The President of the Court, Mrs Olayinka Akomolede, after hearing testimonies of both parties, said that the marriage had broken down irretrievably and consequently dissolved the union.

She however, awarded the custody of the five-year-only child of the union, to the mother, until he attains the age of eight years.

She further ordered Akinola to be paying N4,000 monthly feeding allowance for the child and be responsible for the education of the child.

Akomolede, who granted Akinola unrestricted access to his son between the hours of 8 a.m. and 6p.m., however, ruled that he must notify his ex-wife of such planned visits.

Tolulope, 31, who resides at No.6, GRA Spotless Hotel St., Ado-Ekiti, said although she had an affair with the respondent and had a child for him, they never lived under the same roof as husband and wife.

She told the court that the respondent left her and the child when the baby was only four months old.

Akinola had on Nov.11,2015 told the court that he deliberately abdicated his responsibility as a father because of his doubts over the true paternity of the child.

The court therefore ordered a DNA test to be conducted before hearing the divorce case.

Hearing in the divorce case commenced as the result of the test proved Akinola as the true biological father of the child.

Tolulope in her petition, prayed the court to dissolve the union to enable her properly concentrate in caring for her other twin babies from her new husband.

Akinola thanked the court for its patience with them and for ordering the DNA test which rested his doubts over the paternity of his child.

But he pleaded with the court to grant him custody of the child, as it was proved he was the biological father.