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Court dissolves marriage on grounds of spiritual attack

Walliyyullahi advised them to maintain the peace for the sake of their children, and ordered Habibah to observe an Iddah (waiting) period of three months before remarrying.

Court dissolves marriage on grounds of spiritual attack

An Upper Area Court, Karu, Abuja, on Monday dissolved the marriage between Habibah Salihu and her husband, Idowu Suleiman, over spiritual attacks.

The Judge, Ibrahim Walliyyullahi, granted the divorce petition after hearing both parties.

He further granted the father access to his children whenever he wished to see them.

The court also advised the respondent to agree on a fixed amount of monthly allowance for the upkeep of his children.

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Habibah, 33, a housewife of Nyayan in Abuja, had pleaded with the court to dissolve her marriage for alleged spiritual attack.

She told the court that her marriage to her husband was under some form of spiritual attack.

She said that the marriage was contracted in 1998 but that she and her husband had been living apart since 2010.

The mother of three said the marriage was peaceful until her mother-in-law began to dictate to her husband.

The petitioner told the court that she could no longer put up with the excesses of her mother-in-law and she also accused her husband of doing nothing about the attacks.

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"My Lord, we were happily married until my husband began to act under the influence of his mother after a few years of our marriage.

"My husband began acting like someone under a spell; he became very foolish and no longer became responsible.

"I was surprised because he changed towards I and the children, I am sure his mother had gone diabolical because he would shout at me anytime I tried to talk to about the situation,’’ she said.

Habibah said that the situation became worse and led to the respondent becoming "temperamental and irresponsible’’.

"He would in connection with his mother invite herbalists into her home to organise needless prayers and at the end he would be told that I am the cause of his misfortune.

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"He stopped paying the children’s school fees and whenever I asked for money for their upkeep, he would become very angry,’’ she said.

She said she was forced to leave her matrimonial home in the year 2010 due to the hostile behaviour of her in-laws.

"I was forced to leave the marriage when I could no longer bear the attacks on my health and on my fourth child which led to her death.

"To make matters worse, he is not man enough to stand up for me whenever I am threatened by them.

"I don’t need assistance from him because he stopped taking care of me and the children many years ago,’’ she said.

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Suleiman of Jikwoyi, Abuja, described the allegations as baseless as she was just hiding under the pretence of spiritual attacks.

"She thinks I am not aware that she has a man-friend who she is seeing.

"Despite all the issues in her marriage, I have pleaded with her several times to be patient and let us sort things out but she left in 2010.

"She left me to be with her man-friend who resides in Nyayan, Abuja, and also denied me access to seeing my children,’’ he said.

Suleiman prayed the court to grant her request, but urged the court to compel her to grant him access to his kids.

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"We have been living separately for the past five years so the divorce is just a formality.

"Our families did all they could to salvage the union, but it just didn’t work.

"So, let her continue with her life, the only business I have with her are my kids and she should allow me to see them,’’ Suleiman said.

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