A fashion designer, Fatai Olasupo, has dragged his wife, Temitope Olasupo, before Oja Oba/Mapo Grade C Customary Court, Mapo, Ibadan,Oyo State seeking the dissolution of their 15-year-old marriage. Fatai alleged that Temitope was stubborn, quarrelsome and always fought him. He, therefore, prayed the court to separate them and award him custody of their two children.
“I got married to a woman who is strong-headed. She never listened to me or took instructions from me. She intentionally flouted my orders. “She was fond of attending vigil in her church and thus stayed away from home nearly every night which I didn’t like.
“At the end of the day, she packed her belongings and moved out of the home with our children.
“She withdrew our children from the school I enrolled them in and took them to another. At present, one of them has stopped going to school. “My daughter was to take the common entrance examination last year, but was not intellectually fit. She was returned to primary three because her IQ was low.
“I work and labour to ensure I give our children the best , but my wife keeps frustrating my efforts. “She is loose with her mouth; her words sting like a bee and this often led to a fight between us.
“Anytime we fought, she would tell me we had not yet started until our story was broadcast on radio and television. “I have come to court to prevent such a thing from happening to us, “the plaintiff stated.
The defendant debunked all the plaintiff had said and also prayed the court not to grant his plea on the children’s custody.
“My lord, my husband is a liar. He was the one who packed my things out of his house even though we did not quarrel.
“I went to church with our children for the annual harvest celebration. The programme extended late into the night. We were planning to return home the next day when his call came in. He asked me and the children to remain in church because he was ironing out an issue with our landlord, but he refused to tell me what the matter was.
“I was uncomfortable with the whole thing, and a few days after, I called our landlord’s son who told me my husband had moved out of our apartment and left my belongings in front of the house.
“I immediately rushed home and met the situation as I was told. I was later informed he had moved into a new apartment with another woman, “the defendant said.
“Since then, I have been responsible for the upkeep and education of our children. “I earn N15,000 where I work and out of this we feed and do all other necessary things. “Many times the children trek to and from school which is a long distance.
“I have not been able to pay our first child’s school fees for four years at the Queens College. As a result, she is made to sit in a separate room during examinations. Many times she was not allowed to write examination until I had gone to plead with school authorities.
“I went to his shop many times to plead with him to take up his responsibility as the father of the children, but he would end up fighting and beating me.
“I had to change her school in her fifth year to a nearby one which is more affordable. When she was to enroll for WAEC ,she asked her father for the fee but he declined… Our children are here in court and can testify to all I have said.
“Till date he has not told me why he threw my things out of his house. When his parents mediated in the matter, he told them he was no longer interested in marrying an Ibo woman. My mother in-law was against his decision but he was adamant. His elder sister and I still relate very well,
Temitope stated.
The court president, Chief Ademola Odunade, after listening to the duo called out their children to testify.
Funmilayo, the eldest of the two, a 14-year-old girl, stated that his father was responsible for her school fees at Queen’s College and her mother, at Comprehensive High School, Oke Ado.
She further stated that he was not committed to his other responsibilities as a father.
After listening to all the parties, Odunade adjourned the case till May 24 for further hearing.
GISTMANIA
