Rahimi Ganiyu, a businessman, on Thursday, petitioned a Mapo Customary Court in Ibadan to dissolve his 17-year-old marriage over his constant fear of his wife, Adijat Ganiyu.
Ganiyu, a resident of Soka area in Ibadan explained before Chief Ademola Odunade, the President of the court that his wife whom he married in 2002 had become a terror by constantly causing him apprehension and discomfort.
He added that the only option he had left was to seek legal intervention in getting Adijat out of his house or she might get rid of him any moment from now.
“For some years now, my cohabitation under the same roof with Adijat can best be described as passive or servant-master relationship because of the fear my wife has instilled in me.
“If there is any misunderstanding between both of us, Adijat usually aim at my life and she does this by threatening me with knife.
“In fact, she recently got petrol in an attempt to set my house ablaze and it took the effort of well meaning people in the community to pacify her.
“I cannot count how many times Adijat has willfully destroyed my personal wears including; clothes shoes and other properties.
“Worst still, she damaged my car key and the windscreen and I cannot allow her to kill me before my time,” Ganiyu said.
In her argument, the respondent opposed the suit and refuted all the allegations leveled against her.
Adijat however, prayed the court to consider the four children between both of them in dismissing her husband’s divorce prayer.
“My lord, none of the submissions made by Ganiyu against me is true, though we sometimes had quarrels.
“He doesn’t even fend for the children, let alone their feeding or mine.
“I even suggested to him that I can jointly shoulder the responsibility with him. He however, adamantly refused to do anything.
“We quarreled because he never wanted to be responsible, he doesn’t like paying the children’s school fees,” Adijat stated.
In his judgment, Odunade held that the court was convinced that the allegation of threat to life was well proven against Adijat.
Consequently, he dissolved the union and granted custody of the first two children to the plaintiff and the last two to the respondent.
The Arbitrator also directed Ganiyu to pay N10, 000 as the children’s monthly feeding allowance in addition to being responsible for their education and other welfare needs.
