Court dissolves marriage over child’s sexual molestation

An Igando Customary Court on Tuesday dissolved the marriage between Mr Gbenga Adefolaji and Mrs Adeola Adefolaji on the grounds of child molestation and lack of love.

The petitioner, Adeola, a resident of No.13, Palm St., Promise Land Estate, Egan, a suburb of Lagos, had approached the court on Jan. 27, 2021, alleging that her son was being sexually molested where he stays with his father and was also lacking motherly care.

“On a particular day, I was spending time with my son because we have not been living together, having separated from my husband for three years.

“On that day, my son was playing with my breast, so I cautioned him to stop it as he had passed the age of one to be indulging in such an act.

“So, I asked him questions and upon responding, he said that he used to suck the breasts of his nanny and that she was fond of putting his hands in her “wee-wee” and during other obscene acts together.

“I called the wife of my husband’s friend and explained everything to her, so she also investigated and found everything to be true.

“I was very angry and decided to summon my step-daughter and told my son to repeat what he said to me in her presence which he did.

“The girl claimed that she did not have any memory of it, and that may be it happened when she was sleeping and was not aware.

“I later cautioned both of them to desist from such an act, but after a while; I found out that they persisted in the act.

“This time, I reported to my husband who did nothing about it, and claimed that I was not saying the truth. I also told my friend’s husband, who intervened, but this time I did not allow my son to return to his father,” she said.

She also told the court that her son was not well educated because of lack of monitoring.

Adeola said that her son could not read and write properly, and was made to repeat the same class.

She said that she begged her husband to allow her son to come and spend the summer holidays with her so that she could properly monitor and coach him.

She prayed the court to grant her the divorce based on the above-mentioned grounds, and also that she and her husband had been living separately for three years.

The respondent, Mr Gbenga Adefolaji, a transporter and a resident of No. 15, Mashuka St., Shasha, another suburb of Lagos, said that the allegation that the boy was being molested was not true.

He added that the girl had been taking care of him since he was three years, and it was not possible for her to molest him.

“My wife can take the boy if she is capable, I do not have a problem with that as long as she will not object to my seeing my son whenever I want,” he said.

In his judgement, the President of the court, Mr Koledoye Adeniyi, said it was sad that the young couple, who should be enjoying their marriage and living happily, were facing such problems, and that such had become a common phenomenon in society.

“Having lived separately for the past three years is an indication that the marriage between the duo has broken down irretrievably, and the dissolution of the marriage succeeds,” he said.

He pronounced that the marriage between the two had been dissolved, and they should go their separate ways unmolested.

Adeniyi ruled that the petitioner should take care of the child since the respondent had given his consent to the effect.

He also said that the respondent should give the petitioner the sum of N5,000 monthly for the child’s upkeep.