A 43-year-old wife, Favour Abume, has told the Igando Customary Court how her husband, Nosa Abume, committed adultery, posing as a widower to date a woman on Facebook and marry their neighbour’s wife.

“My husband is a womaniser. He sleeps with different women, both single and married, on our matrimonial bed. My children had caught him severally having sex with women in our house,” Mrs Abume told the court. “I saw his chat on Facebook where he told a woman that he was a widower, begging her to marry him.”

She added, “There was a day he told me he was travelling to the camp for prayers but went to have a wedding with another woman in the village. When he brought the new wife to Lagos, he stopped me from attending his church, saying his new wife will replace me.”

On Monday, 48-year-old Abume, a pastor, approached the Igando court in Lagos to nullify his 17-year-old marriage, accusing his wife of defaming his character.

The mother of four further told the court that her husband evicted her from their apartment in 2016 and brought in a neighbour’s wife.

“Few months after he married the second wife, he started dating our neighbour’s wife. He chased me out of the house, told me to go back to my parents’ house that he was no longer interested in marrying me, and our neighbour’s wife moved in,” she narrated. “He did not allow me to go with my children, claiming I did not bring any child from my father’s house when he wedded me. Many of the members left his church due to his infidelity.”

Praying for a divorce, Mr Abume stated, “My wife is making statement that is injuring my reputation. She keeps telling people that I am a chronic womaniser.”

The petitioner said his wife had even invited the police to arrest him.

“She invited policemen to arrest me, and they tortured me in their custody,” added Mr Abume. “I took the matter to the village. She was summoned by the elders and was asked to buy a goat as a fine for ordering my arrest, but she refused.”

Mr Abume pleaded with the court to terminate their marriage, claiming that the love he once had for his wife had faded.

The court president, Adeniyi Koledoye, urged both parties to maintain peace and adjourned the case until January 20, 2022, for judgment. 

(NAN)