Court dissolves 18-year-old marriage over threat to life

A Mapo Customary Court in Ibadan on Thursday dissolved an 18-year-old marriage between one Oluseyi, a Police Officer, and her spouse, Samuel Adekunle, for threatening to terminate her life.

Mr Henric Agbaje, President of the court, in his ruling, noted that the decision to separate the couple was not taken in a hurry.

Agbaje said that the court had given the couple more than enough time to resolve their dispute amicably.He said that even a Church Pastor who intervened in the matter could not pacify Oluseyi to change her mind.

"Therefore, the union between both of you has ceased to be, henceforth, and for the sake of proper care, Oluseyi shall take custody of the three children.

"Adekunle is hereby warned against any form of threat or harassment, as such acts will be considered as criminal and would consequently be dealt with by law,” he said.

Narrating her ordeal, Oluseyi told the court that her husband drove her and their three children out of the house and consequently threatened to kill her.

"Adekunle had over time demonstrated that he was inhuman and irresponsible towards the children and I. I am the one responsible for the children’s feeding, education and all other aspects of life.

"As if these ones are not enough, he ejected us from the house I built out of my own sweat. Consequently, he started sending text messages of how he will kill me to my cell phone,” Oluseyi said.

However, the defendant did not deny the threats, but described them as "mere empty threats’’.

"Please, I still love Oluseyi. I don’t want to part ways with her because of our children. She should remember that I sent her to the Police College and that she was actually the one that wooed me into the marriage,” Adekunle told the court.