Court ends 20-year-old marriage over desertion

Victor Akinkuolie, Ado-Ekiti
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An Ado-Ekiti Customary Court has dissolved a 20-year-old marriage between Bunmi Awolusi and her husband, Olusola Awolusi, on grounds of threat to life and desertion.

Bunni,  47, a fish seller and resident of Adehun,  Zone 7, in Ado-Ekiti, had  dragged her husband before the court over allegation of lack of care for the children,  desertion, threat to life and no rest of mind.

The petitioner  told the court that her husband was a deceitful man, adding that her husband had given birth to three children before marrying her and yet she agreed to be taking care of the three children as one of her responsibility.

The mother of two equally alleged that her husband had failed to perform his responsibility in the house, the development which she said had made her to incur some debts.

She prayed the court to grant her the request,  noted that since she was abandoned by the respondent since 2012,  she had remarried since then, but her husband kept on disturbing her in her new husband’s house.

The petitioner pleaded with the court to separate them and award the custody of the two children of the union who are girls to her, saying that the move would give her respite.

The respondent had repeatedly shunned the court and failed to appear at the proceedings,  despite being  given the opportunity to challenge the claims of the petitioner.

The President of the court, Mrs Olayinka Akomolede, who observed that the union  had broken down irretrievably, consequently dissolved the marriage.

Akomolede ruled that the custody of younger child, Glory,  be awarded to the petitioner, while the eldest child,  Mary should decide who to stay with between her father and mother.

She also ordered that ,the respondent should be paying the sum of N5,000 as monthly feeding allowance of Glory, while both parties should be responsible for the education of their children.