A Grade A Customary Court sitting at Mapo in Ibadan, Oyo State, barely 48 hours before the new year has put an end to the cohabitation between Saheed Oladipupo and his common-law partner, Bidemi.

Mr Oladipo approached the court to dissolve the union on the grounds that the respondent constantly threatens his life, is a troublemaker and promiscuous.

Delivering judgement, the court’s president, O.E. Owoseni, stated that she put an end to the seven years of cohabitation between Mr Oladipupo and Ms Bidemi because they were no longer interested in living as a couple.

Citing various sections of the law to support her judgement, Ms Owoseni noted that there was no valid customary marriage between the petitioner and the respondent going by the evidence provided by the two parties.

“Therefore, the cohabitation between Oladipupo and Bidemi no longer subsists in the interest of peaceful living,” she said.

Ms Owoseni awarded custody of the three children aged seven, four and three, respectively, produced by the union to Ms Bidemi and directed Mr Oladipupo to pay a monthly feeding allowance of N60,000 for the children’s upkeep.

She also directed that the father of the children should be responsible for their education and other welfare.

The court’s president ordered the respondent to give the petitioner reasonable access to the children.

Lastly, she restrained Ms Bidemi from threatening, harassing, disturbing or interfering with Mr Oladipupo’s private life henceforth.

In the suit filed, Mr Oladipupo, a dealer in pharmaceutical products and a resident of Odo Ona Kekere in Ibadan, stated that he sought the court’s intervention to prevent the respondent from killing him with her troublemaking.

The petitioner said that he had painfully abandoned his home to stay alive.

“Sometime in February this year, Abidemi broke the doors and the glass windows in the house with a pestle and launched an attack on me.

“During the last Sallah festival, Bidemi, alongside one of her relatives, fought me in my shop and almost cut off one of my fingers with her teeth. Then, she took away my clothes and caused me grave embarrassment. Moreover, she told some soldiers to beat me up,” Mr Oladipupo said.

He tendered 16 pictures of the injuries he sustained as well as his clothes that were torn as exhibits before the court.

The petitioner also begged the court to order the respondent to vacate his two-bedroom home immediately.

However, Ms Bidemi, an unemployed housewife and a resident of the Lannisa area of Odo Ona Kekere in Ibadan, prayed the court not to put an end to the union, stating that she still loved her “husband.”

“My lord, I still love Oladipupo, but his mother is the brain behind all my marital problems with her son. She just doesn’t want to see my face. I don’t know how I have offended her.

“I don’t even know where Oladipupo currently lives since he abandoned home about eight months ago. I’ve been to his shop just once and he beat me on that day.

“The land upon which he built the house he is talking about belongs to me. I only included his name and the name of our first child in the land documents. If Oladipupo insists on separation, I plead with the court to give me custody of the three children and a monthly feeding allowance of N150,000 because I’ve been responsible for their sustenance,” Ms Bidemi claimed.
(NAN)