Woman seeks dissolution of 22 year-old union, over alleged 10 years neglect

A woman seeking divorce, Shakirat Muftawdeen, told a Mapo Grade A Customary Court in Ibadan on Friday to end the 22-year-old union with her estranged husband, Ibrahim, for neglect and irresponsibility.

Muftawdeen, a mother of three and a resident of Muslim-Odinjo in Ibadan, said she regretted marrying Ibrahim because of the sad memories he left her with.

“Though we did the traditional introduction, Ibrahim never paid any bride price on me, and things went on well until 2014, when he suddenly left home.

“After abandoning the three children to me, he also refused to carry out any form of responsibility on any of us.

“Ibrahim’s relatives are all aware of his inhumanity to me, but their intervention yielded nothing as he still stayed away from home,” Muftawdeen stated.

However, the respondent was not in court when he was invited to open his defence.

The bailiff told the court that he served several hearing notices on Ibrahim since August 2022, when the case started, and that he deliberately chose not to make any appearance.

Delivering judgement, the court’s president, Mrs. S.M. Akintayo,held that there was no valid customary marriage between Muftawdeen and Ibrahim, and so there was no marriage to be dissolved between them.

Akintayo said that her conclusion was based on the testimony of the petitioner and that the respondent did not controvert the evidence.

However, the President of the Court granted custody of the children to Muftawdeen and directed Ibrahim to be responsible for the education, medical needs, and other welfare of the children.

She also granted an order restraining Ibrahim from threatening, harassing, disturbing, and interfering in the private life of Muftawdeen.