Court Dissolves 2-year-old Marriage Over Battery

An Agege Grade 'A' Customary Court on Wednesday in Lagos dissolved a two-year-old marriage between Toyin and Funmilayo Landa, over battery.

The Court President, Mr Emmanuel Sokunle, told the court that all efforts to bring the respondent, Toyin, to defend himself, proved abortive.

Sokunle said :"This honourable court hereby dissolves the union between Funmilayo and Toyin, they shall henceforth cease to be addressed as husband and wife.

"You shall go your separate ways and maintain the peace, the custody of the only child in the union is granted to the plaintiff, Funmilayo.

"Toyin shall be paying the sum of N5,000 monthly-- through the court-- for the child's upkeep and be responsible for the educational and medical bills of the child as at when due.

"Funmilayo is hereby ordered to be bringing the child to the court every last Friday of the month for his father to show his care".

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Funmilayo had filed the divorce suit on Sept. 26, seeking  dissolution of the marriage and custody of the child.

The 39-year-old wife, who lives at No. 4, Agbelekale St., Baily Estate in Abule-Egba, Lagos, said that her husband, who was a year younger than her, beat her whenever she failed to give him money.

“Before we got married, I knew I was older than him and that he is disabled, but I did not mind as I loved him unconditionally.

 "He is idle; he follows me to my shop everyday and does not give me breathing space.

``If he asks for anything and I don't give him in time, he starts shouting.

"Whenever he is beating me, he uses anything to hit me and this has caused a lot of scars on my body,’’ Funmilayo said.

She appealed to the court to dissolve the union to save her life.

The plaintiff submitted that she entered into the marriage in a hurry after she met Toyin in a church.

 "I have been enduring his behaviour for two years; I can't tolerate it anymore,’’ she said, and prayed the court to grant her the custody of their two-year-old child.

Toyin, the estranged husband, did not appear before the court throughout the proceedings. (NAN).


Source: Leadership