An Idi-Ogungun Customary Court in Agodi, Ibadan, has been forced to dissolve a five-year-old marriage after the woman threatened to commit suicide if request for a divorce fails.
The President of the court, Mr Mukaila Balogun, said that evidence before the court proved that Mr Lasisi Mukaila battered his wife, Kafila, who filed for divorce and threatened to kill herself if the court would reject her request.
Balogun subsequently dissolved the marriage over battery and lack of care by the man.
He said that the court did not derive pleasure in dissolving marriages “but cannot fold its arms and allow ugly incidents involving lives to happen”.
He regretted that domestic violence had resulted in loss of lives, saying that some of lives would have been saved if the marriages were dissolved when the need arose.
“Though the defendant pleaded with the court not to dissolve the marriage, the court is handicapped to uphold the prayer due to threat from the plaintiff that she would kill herself if the court refuses her divorce request.
“The testimony of the plaintiff has shown that she was no longer interested in the union due to the unbearable ill-treatment and lack of care from the defendant.
“The court, therefore, dissolves the marriage. The only child of the marriage should be in the custody of the plaintiff.
“The defendant should pay N4,000 as monthly allowance for the upkeep of the child; both parties should abstain from trouble,” Balogun said.
Earlier, Kafila told the court that Lasisi was in the habit of beating her, adding that he was not concerned about her welfare and that of their child.
She said that she fainted in September 2018 when Lasisi beat her.
The petitioner threatened to kill herself if the court would not dissolve the marriage, saying that she was fed up.
Responding, Lasisi confessed to be beating his wife but promised to change.
He prayed the court not to dissolve the marriage.
