My wife abandoned me on my sick bed, man tells court

A divorce-seeking man, Charles Sijuade, told a Mapo Grade ‘A’ Customary Court in Ibadan on Thursday to dissolve his marriage to his estranged wife, Dasola, because she allegedly abandoned him on his sick bed and mismanaged his fortune.

Sijuade, a retired official of the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) and a father of three, testified that his wife locked him in the bedroom as his illness worsened and went out as if nothing was happening.

He added that Dasola has completely wrecked his business and all his belongings.

“When I took ill and wasn’t responding to treatment in time, Dasola abandoned me on my sick bed, where I remained bedridden for a long time.

“This is in spite of the fact that she was in possession of my ATM card and had taken over all my business dealings.

“In fact, I cannot comprehend most things again due to my ill-health.

“Later on, Dasola’s younger brother moved in with us, and my wife took charge of my bank account.

“Worse still, my lord, I invested in the transportation business and bought Dasola a tricycle; however, she doesn’t mention any proceeds from it to me,” Sijuade explained.

The petitioner also informed the court that he had been fully responsible for the schooling and other welfare of the three children.

However, the respondent refuted the allegations leveled against her while describing her husband as a junior employee of the electricity-generating company when they first met in their office.

Dasola, a prophetess stated that she took nothing from her husband’s pension.

“Before I got married to Sijuade, he was a poor man, but fortune smiled on him after we were together.

“My lord, I am the fifth woman Sijuade has married and the previous four left him in questionable circustances.

“This is because his siblings were always on their necks and giving them problems.

“As if that were not enough, Sijuade’s younger sister warned me to be careful with her or she would show me the way out like she killed her brother’s second wife.

“It is true that he bought a tricycle for my younger brother to use for transportation business and he had been reminting N10,000 to him on monthly basis.

“Sijuade’s friends in the neighbourhood are aware of this,” Dasola said.

Though she consented to part ways, but she pleaded with the court to order her husband to rent a self containe apartment for her and the children as she presently had no where to go.

After their submissions, the court’s President, Mrs S.M. Akintayho advised the couple to maintain peace and adjourned the suit until Aug. 11 for judgment.