Court dissolves 18-yr-old marriage over alleged threat to life

The President of Mapo Customary Court in Ibadan, Chief Ademola Odunade, on Thursday, dissolved an 18- year-old marriage between one Tokunbo Adejimi and his wife, Modupe, over alleged threat to life.

Odunade pronounced the marriage dissolved after both Adejimi and Modupe had testified and agreed to the dissolution.

The court president said that neither of the couple was willing to give up their ego, hence the need to allow each of them to go, in the interest of peaceful living.

Odunade awarded custody of the two children produced by the union to Modupe and ordered Adejimi to pay N10,000 as monthly feeding allowance, in addition to being responsible for their education and other basic needs.

Earlier, Adejimi, a resident of General Gas area of Ibadan, said that he would not forgive his wife for her adulterous lifestyle, habitual stubbornness and cruelty.

“For many years, Modupe had been involved in adulterous habits and refused to stop, in spite of all my efforts.

“It is as if her heart is made of stone, because she never saw any reason to agree with me or take to my instructions.

“Before I finally made up my mind to call it quits with Modupe, I nearly lost my life one day when she used her high-heeled shoes to hit my skull.

“I bled helplessly, as blood gushed out of my head,” Tokunbo told the court.

He added that he had been solely responsible for taking care of the children.

Although Modupe gave her consent to the suit, she, however, refuted some of the allegations levelled against her by her estranged husband.

Modupe, who claimed to be an evangelist, described her husband as an unrepentant nagger, saying he always accused her of infidelity without producing any evidence of ever catching her with any man.

“My lord, please don’t grant Tokunbo custody of the children because they will suffer.

“The two children have repeatedly informed me that he doesn’t provide them food adequately. This is in addition to not allowing them to go to bed on time,” Modupe said.