Husband seeks annulment of marriage for wife’s alleged adulterous acts

Worried by his wife’s alleged adulterous acts, Azeez Adeshina, on Wednesday approached an Ikorodu Customary Court, Lagos, to annul his 22-year-old marriage to his wife Oluwatoyin.

Adeshina, 40, of Ipinyewi, off Aroro Adamo Road, Ikorodu, Lagos, claimed that his wife was "a chronic adulterer’’.He told the court that he also wanted the divorce because she was no longer staying with him since 2007.

"I caught her red-handed committing adultery.

"She incited some people to beat me almost to death and the people confirmed this to me after carrying out her orders.

"I cannot imagine being associated with a person that is not under my roof yet bears my name. My estranged wife does not care about her image as a wife hence her happiness to be living outside my home so that she can perpetrate her adulterous acts willfully.

"I need to move on in life and regain my sanity that is why I want to divorce her,’’ he told the court.

The petitioner, a bricklayer, also said that he wanted to be separated from Oluwatoyin because she was fond of endangering the lives of their four children.

"I have always told her that I don’t want her to cross major roads with my children where a bridge exists but she will never obey me.

I' have no more love for her and will no long want her to bear my name,’’ he said.

Meanwhile, the respondent, Oluwatoyin, 40, said that the petitioner had not paid her dowry.

"Azeez is not a caring person and finds it difficult to care for me and the children.

"He abandoned me during my ordeal after an accident I had and told my father to care for me instead of him to do his duty as a husband.

"Any claim of his that I kidnapped two of our children and harassed him is false,’’ she said.

Oluwatoyin said she moved out of their house because the petitioner was making life unbearable by his uncaring attitude.

The court’s President, Mrs Abiola Omolara, ordered that the couples should maintain the peace pending the litigation process brought by Adeshina.

"I want the two of you to continue to ensure that the children remain in school because it will be wrong for them for this your misunderstanding to affect their education.

"I will further urge the two of you to discuss the way forward to resolve this crisis and let the court know of your resolutions,’’ she said.

She adjourned the case till Sept. 18 for continuation.