Court saves sex-starved marriage

An Igando Customary Court in Lagos on Wednesday intervened and saved a 12-year-old marriage between Azeez Idowu and his wife Naimotu, over lack of sex from crashing.

The Court President, Mr Hakeem Oyekan, was able to reconcile the couple after several adjournments and interventions.

Oyekan, who stuck the petition, admonished the couple to maintain peace always.

"I urged both of you to go home and continue in love and peace,’’ he said.

The respondent, Naimotu, 39, a businesswoman, had told the court that she would continue to deny her husband sex until he had paid the debt owed her.

Naimotu who said this while responding to a petition by her husband, said: "I have been denying my husband sex because he borrowed N690,000 from me and has refused to pay.

"I will continue to starve him of sex until he pays the money. Azeez is in the habit of swearing and cursing me with a charm called `Ishan egungun’: a specially prepared masquerade’s rod and this is affecting my life,’’ the mother of two, said.

She, however, urged the court not to grant her husband’s wish for the dissolution of their marriage, saying that she was still in love with him.

The petitioner, Azeez, 45, businessman, had asked the court to dissolve the marriage over alleged sex denial by his wife.

"My wife does not want me to touch her nor make love to her, I am tired of the marriage because I am neither a stick nor a stone,’’ Azeez said.

Azeez alleged that his wife loved attending social activities and hardly stayed at home.

"Whenever she goes out, she would not return home until after five days or seven days.’’

"My wife will go from one party to another; spending days and neglecting the family. I have reported her severally to her father who always calls her to order, but there has been no positive change,’’ Azeez said.

He described Naimotu as a liar, not trustworthy and always inconsistent in her words and actions.

"Naimotu lies a lot; one day, she told me that she was going to Mushin in Lagos State, but some hours later, someone called to tell me that she was in Igbo-Ora in Oyo State.

"When I called her and confronted her that she was in Oyo state as against Mushin she claimed she was going to mushin when she left home, she switched off her cell phone.

"She took permission on another day that she was going to Oshodi, but someone saw her at Ijebu-Ode in Ogun; I cannot just account for her movement.’’

He pleaded with the court to dissolve the union since he was no longer interested and did not love her anymore.