NAN-H-43
Oath
Lagos, June 1, 2017 (NAN) A 60-year-old businessman, Mr Friday Maleghemi, and one of his wives, Victoria, 49, on Thursday asked an Igando Customary Court in Lagos State , to dissolve their 28-year-old marriage.
They told the court separately that they were not interested in the union which had been laced with mutual suspicions that one was responsible for the ill-health of the other and had not produced any child.
The husband; Friday, while responding to a divorce suit filed by Victoria, said that Victoria had refused to follow him to his village to swear an oath over his ill health.
Friday also told the court that he suspected Victoria to be responsible for his current predicament.
“My other wives except Victoria agreed to follow me to my village.
“Instead, she parked out of our matrimonial home in 2014.
“She then called me from where I was receiving treatment that she was no longer interested in the marriage.’’
The respondent accused his wife of being an ingrate having forgotten that he built a house for her parents in her village when he was hale and hearty.
He urged the court to grant the wish of his wife because he was no longer interested in the marriage.
Earlier, Mrs Victoria Maleghemi said that she had to approach the court to end the 28-year-old marriage because her husband, Friday, sent her packing from their matrimonial home.
She told the court that her husband initially told her to leave the house for two weeks to allow some diviners to sanctify it.
“When my husband was sick, he asked me to leave the house that some people wanted to sanctify it and that he would ask me to return after the cleansing.
“I complied but after two weeks he did not call me. I came home only to discover that he had changed the keys to the house doors.
“When I called him, he told me that he was no longer interested in the marriage.’’
The 49-year-old trader said that she refused to follow her husband to his village for the oath taking because she had been warned by her pastor not to travel.
“I received a message from my pastor not to embark on any journey or swear any oath. That was why I refused to go with him to his village,’’ she said.
Victoria begged the court to dissolve the marriage; saying it had not produced any children and she was no longer interested.
“Please, my Lord, dissolve the union that has not produced any fruit,” she pleaded with the court.
The president of the court, Mr Adegboyega Omilola, after listening to the estranged couple adjourned the case until July 4 for judgment. (NAN)
DOA/JIE/PAD
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Edited by Julius Enehikhuere/Peter Dada