A customary court in Igando, Lagos, Thursday, dissolved a nine-year-old marriage between Emmaunel Adegbola and his wife, Olufunke, on grounds of infidelity by the woman.
Olufunke, however, also accused her estranged husband of always raping her anytime she was not in the mood to make love.
The court President, Mr R. I. Adeyeri, said it appeared that the estranged couple was tired of the marriage and that efforts to reconcile both parties had failed.
“Since both parties consented to the dissolution of the marriage, the court has no choice than to dissolve the union.
“Both parties are no longer husband and wife, they are free to go their separate ways,”he said.
Adeyeri ruled that the issue of custody of their four children, aged between eight years and four years, including a set of twins, should be referred to the family court within the Lagos Judicial Division.
The court president also ordered the petitioner to pay N50,000 as rehabilitation cost to the respondent.
Adegbola, a 63-year-old businessman, had filed the suit on June 26, seeking dissolution of his nine-year-old marriage over infidelity on the part of the wife.
He told the court that his wife was having an affair and that the other man was always coming to his wife’s house whenever he (Adegbola) travelled out of Lagos on business.
“My wife was harbouring her concubine in the house I rented for her; anytime I went there unannounced, I always met the man. My wife was unable to give a satisfactory answer as to the man’s mission in my house.”
He also said that his wife started threatening his business by setting up shop in the same business, close to his business address and was diverting his customers to her shop.
“Initially, I told her that we should start a pure water business together, she told me she was not interested.
“But later, she opened her own pure water business without my consent, snatching all my customers. This is now affecting my own business,” he said.
He also said that his wife was no more cooking for him, as she would complain of tiredness, and “that I should go and cook for myself”.
In her response, response, Olufunke, 40, also a businesswoman, denied the allegations.
She told the court that the man her husband used to see in her house, was her brother and that she was not having an affair with any man.
She said that she was not threatening her husband’s business, and that she set up her own business because her husband was not paying her a salary, but was using her as a slave.
“My husband was only using me as a slave, he was not giving me money: he and his first wife were sharing the proceeds from the business,” she said.
Source: Vanguard 
