Court dissolves 20-year-old marriage

Citing what it termed the absence of all ingredients that could facilitate a lasting relationship in marriage, the presiding magistrate of a Mapo Customary Court in Ibadan, Mr. Ademola Odunade, on Wednesday, dissolved a 20-year-old marriage between a businesswoman and her husband.

The Ibadan-based woman, Mrs. Fatola Omoniyi, had approached the magistrate court, praying it to break the union between her and her husband, Olulayo Fatola, for neglect and infidelity.

According to the judge, he granted the prayer of the petitioner and awarded her custody of the products of the union, because “Fatola has done little or nothing since the last court sitting to move for settlement from the findings of the court.

“Custody of the three children produced by the union is hereby granted to Omoniyi, while Fatola shall pay a monthly feeding allowance of N4,000 for each of the three children, as well as being responsible for their education and welfare.”

He added that the court went for the option of putting an end to the union in the interest of peaceful coexistence.

Earlier in her petition, Omoniyi said that her husband, Fatola, had compromised the union between them and violated their matrimonial bed by sleeping with his concubines in the house, which she claimed she built with her own sweat.

However, Fatola debunked all the allegations leveled against him, while acceding to the divorce prayer, which he hinged on alleged indifference on the part of his wife. He added that he had made several attempts to seek for reconciliation, but they have all proved abortive.