A Grade ‘A’ Customary Court sitting at Mapo in Ibadan, Oyo State, has terminated a three-year-old marriage between one Oluwatobi Onasanya and his estranged wife, Folakemi on grounds of religious difference.

Onasanya had accused Folakemi of not regularly attending his church services with him.

Delivering judgment, the court’s President, S.M. Akintayo held that she dissolved the marriage between the couple because they were no longer interested in living together as husband and wife.

According to Akintayo, the marriage between the duo was valid based on the evidence tendered by each of them, but that irreconcilable differences had turned the union apart.

“The husband-and-wife relationship between Onasanya and Folakemi has ceased to be forth with. Custody of the two children produced by the union is granted to the respondent while the petitioner is granted access to the children once on a weekly basis at an agreed neutral place,” Mrs Akintayo said.

Earlier, Onasanya, a welder and resident of Ayegun-Oleyo area in Ibadan, had testified that he filed the suit to forestall further domestic violence, troublemaking and lack of love between him and Folakemi.

He contended that it took medical examination in the hospital to reveal that his wife’s poor health condition was primarily responsible for her inability to conceive.

The petitioner also submitted that his wife constantly disagrees with him on their Christian belief because she only follows him to his white garment church just once in a month.

“After completing all the marital rites and ceremonies on March 26, 2022, Folakemi began various forms of misbehaviour including disrespecting me. My lord, it was not until we went to the hospital for medical examination that results revealed that Folakemi was nursing an ailment that was preventing her from conceiving early.

“Worst still, when there was a domestic issue between Folakemi and I, she got me arrested with the police, reported the issue at radio stations in Ibadan and eventually moved out of my house with the twin children. Since moving out, I’ve not been accessing my children except when she brings them to court,” Onasanya claimed.

Under cross examination, the petitioner stated that personnel at the welfare office in Ibadan directed him to regularly provide food for the children and the mother instead of giving her money.

He added that he kept to the promise of food provision, citing three instances of buying N40,000, N36,000 and N34,000 worth of food respectively.

Responding to the allegations levelled against her, a fashion designer, Folakemi, did not deny her husband’s claims, but simply stated that Onasanya had packed out of their apartment before she was discharged from the hospital.

“Onasanya had left home with his belongings before I was discharged from the hospital after my delivery. Besides, he had refused to visit the children or provide for our feeding. The N10,000 Onasanya wants to give the children cannot be enough for them. There is no more love between us, please separate us,” Folakemi begged the court.

(NAN)