A mother of two, Maryam Dahiru, on Monday, dragged ex-husband Umar Isa before a Shari’a Court in Kaduna, seeking child custody and a N20,000 monthly maintenance fee.

The complainant’s lawyer, Hussaina Adam, stated that the children, a boy and a girl, aged eight and five, were with Ms Dahiru’s former husband, who refused to give her custody.

In his defence, the defendant told the court he would only grant custody of the children on the condition that a N5,000 monthly maintenance fee be paid.

The judge, Yakubu Abdullahi, explained that in Islam, the mother of a child is the one to have custody of the children, and in her absence, her own mother is the one to have such custody.

“A female child is supposed to be in her mother’s custody till she gets married, while the male child is supposed to be with his mother till he reaches the age of puberty,” the judge said.

According to him, the defendant has not given the court any valid reason for refusing to hand over the children to the complainant.

He ruled that the complainant should have custody of the children, with a monthly maintenance cost of N15,000, alongside the provision of clothing, feeding, and school fees.

(NAN)