By Ado Oyeyemi
A Grade A Customary Court sitting in Mapo, Ibadan, Oyo State, has dissolved the 30-year-old marriage between a woman, Faithful, and her husband, Felix, after she accused him of abandoning her and their three children for five years.
Faithful, who approached the court seeking an end to the marriage, told the court that her husband left the family home about five years ago and had refused to return despite several efforts by her and their respective families to reconcile them.
She said she had been solely responsible for the children’s feeding, education and other needs since her husband’s departure, adding that the financial burden had become difficult for her to bear.
According to her, she initially hoped that Felix would return, but repeated appeals by her parents and members of his family failed to persuade him to come back.
Faithful told the court that she had eventually accepted that her husband was not returning and decided that she wanted to move on with her life.
She also asked the court to grant her custody of their children and direct Felix to contribute towards their feeding, education and healthcare.
The petitioner said the couple got married on October 5, 1996, and had three children together.
Felix was not present in court despite being served with several notices requiring him to appear.
In her judgment, the court president, Mrs S.M. Akintayo, held that the court had jurisdiction over the customary marriage contracted by the couple.
Akintayo said Faithful had clearly expressed her unwillingness to continue with the marriage after waiting for years for her husband to return.
The judge ruled that the petitioner had satisfactorily established that the marriage had broken down and consequently granted her request for dissolution.
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The court therefore dissolved the customary marriage celebrated between the parties on October 5, 1996, declaring that they were no longer husband and wife with immediate effect.
