• He’s having illicit affairs, plans to sell our house- Wife

By Bukola Olamona

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Drama unfolded at a Customary Court in Akure, Ondo State, when a woman, Temitope Akinmoye, confronted her husband, Tanimola Akinmoye, over alleged infidelity and a purported plan to sell their jointly owned house without her consent.

 The couple, who have been married for 17 years with three children, appeared in court in a divorce suit filed by Mr. Tanimola Akinmoye.

 While he insisted that their marriage had broken down beyond repair, his wife maintained that she was willing to make it work.

The petitioner’s claim before the court against the respondent are as follows:

 “ An order of this court granting the dissolution of the customary marriage between the Petitioner and the Respondent.

 “ An order of this court granting joint custody of the three children of the marriage to wit: Akinmoye Blessing, (M)13,  Akinmoye Mary, (F) 11,  and Akinmoye Iyanuoluwa, (F) 9, to both the Petitioner and the Respondent.

 “An order of this Honourable Court directing the Respondent and the Petitioner to be jointly responsible for the welfare and upkeep of the three children of the marriage. 

“The respondent has abandoned the petitioner and moved away to another apartment with the three children.

 “The customary marriage between the Petitioner and the Respondent has broken down irretrievably.”

The petitioner, Mr Akinmoye said his wife has left the house they built together with their children, stating that she sold his working tools, thereby rendering him useless  and jobless.

 “I came straight from the house to this  court, she was the one that left with our children” he said.

He, therefore, urged the court to dissolve the marriage saying he can no longer live with her.

The petitioner’s lawyer, Barrister Tayo Osayomi, supported his claims, stating that a visit by court officials confirmed that Mrs. Akinmoye was not at home at the time.

Testifying before the court, Mrs Temitope Akinmoye (Respondent) alleged that their marital crisis began about a year ago when her husband started an affair with another woman.

 According to her, he moved out of their matrimonial home which they both built and has been living with his mistress who already had four children from a previous relationship.

 She further claimed that Mr Akinmoye was making arrangements to sell the house, a move she vowed to resist claiming she took loans from LAPO Microfinance Bank to contribute to the building.

 “We had no problems until he started seeing another woman. That was when he became violent and started beating me,” she told the court.

 She also alleged that her husband’s new partner had been threatening her.

 “The woman has been calling cursing me and warning me to leave if I want to stay alive. She sent me pictures and told me the house will be sold. She has even used ‘kayamata’ on my husband.

“February 24 will make it exactly a year since he left without any disagreement between us,” she added.

 She, however, insisted that she was simply not around when the court officials  visited.

The petitioner’s lawyer urged the court to give him time to discuss with the parties  involved if the marriage could still be salvaged

 Presiding Magistrate, Mrs. V.A. Falana, remarked that both parties knew the truth about their marital dispute.

 She stressed that no marriage could be sustained if one party was unwilling. She urged them to consider reconciliation in the interest of their children.

She said their children would be the victims if their marriage eventually broke down, saying they will  be the ones to bear the brunt.

The case was adjourned to March 15 for further hearing.