NAN-H-17
Dissolution
By Adedeji Egbebi
Ado Ekiti, Oct.10, 2017 (NAN) A 20-year-old marriage between Mr Toyin Ajayi, and his wife, Adesola, was on Tuesday dissolved on the orders of an Ado Ekiti Customary Court, citing husband’s irresponsible behaviour and abandonment of his family.
The President of the court, Mr Joseph Ogunsemi, who gave the verdict, said the marriage had broken down irretrievably.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Adesola, 39, a hairdresser and resident of No. 24, Okebola St., Ado Ekiti, had approached the court, seeking the dissolution of the marriage on the grounds of lack of care for the family and threat to life.
Ogunsemi awarded the custody of the three female children of the union of ages 12 to 20 to the petitioner for proper care.
He ordered the respondent to pay N4, 000 as monthly feeding allowance for each of the three children, adding that payment of the allowances should commence from the end of October.
He said the respondent should be responsible for the education of the children.
Ogunsemi also granted unrestricted access to the children by the respondent any time he wants to see the children.
Adesola had told the court that she since she moved to his house over 19 years ago, the petitioner did not bother about the feeding and education of the children.
“He prefers to spend money on his own personal business or on his commercial vehicle.
“Since I packed out of his house, he has been calling me on phone threatening to deal with me.”
She urged the court to dissolve the marriage and award the custody of the three children to her.
The estranged husband, Ajayi, 42, a commercial driver and resident of Omisanjana Street, Ado-Ekiti, denied all the allegations leveled against him.
“I usually take care of the petitioner and her children, but whenever I am unable to provide adequate money for feeding, she will turn it to a fight.
“Most of the issues that often caused dispute between us are money for feeding and sex,” he told the court.
“Any time I do not give her enough money to buy food for the children, she will deprive me of sex.”
He told the court that he could not afford to be paying N5,000 as monthly feeding allowance on each of the three children, adding “I can only afford N9,000 monthly for all of them.”
Ajayi, however, agreed to the dissolution of the marriage. (NAN)
DJ/ESAN/DA
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Edited by Abiodun Esan/Dele Akinsola