A septuagenarian, Mr. Tajudeen Giwa,
has asked an Ikorodu Customary Court in Lagos State to dissolve his marriage of
over 40 years because his wife ignores him and denies him sex.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the petitioner also
alleged that his 63-year-old wife, Karimat, had become a threat to his life and
usually incited their seven children against him.
“Karimat does not care for me again;
she denies me my matrimonial right to sleep with her.
“She gangs up with our children
against me, to the extent that they threaten my life on her behalf.
“I am fed up with the marriage and I
no longer love her,’’ the petitioner, who resides in Idiorogbo village, Itokin
Road, Ikorodu, said.
In her response, Karimut said the
allegations by her husband were false.
She said although her husband did not
care well enough for her and their children, she did not want to divorce him.
Karimat told the court that the
petitioner usually slept around with other women and always threatened to chase
her and the children away for no good reason.
“My husband is not a reasonable man
and he’s a very inconsiderate person,’’ she said.
NAN reports that the children of the
petitioner were four males and three females.
The oldest male child is 39 years
old; the oldest female is 36 years, while the youngest is a 16-year-old girl.
In her ruling, the President of the
court, Mrs. Omolara Abiola, said the court would do everything within its power
to save the marriage.
She said, “This court is more focused
on saving marriages. And it behoves on us to try to secure this union rather
than dissolve a marriage of such age, with seven children, most of whom are
above 30.’’
Abiola, therefore, urged the
petitioner and the respondent to “maintain peace and harmony, pending the
determination of the case”.
The court president added that
Karimat should not ignore her husband as such “action usually infuriates men’’.
Abiola adjourned the case till March
22, 2016, for further mediation and ordered that some of the children of the
couple should be present at the hearing.