By Ado Oyeyemi
A Grade A Customary Court in Lagos has dissolved the marriage between Gbolagade and Omodunke after the husband alleged that his wife became hostile and attempted suicide when he could no longer sustain the lifestyle she had become accustomed to.
Gbolagade told the court that their marriage, which began in December 2003, was initially peaceful until he travelled to Dubai in 2013 in search of better opportunities.
He said while working in Dubai, he provided adequately for his wife and children, paid their school fees and ensured that the family enjoyed a comfortable life.
According to him, their situation changed after his visa expired and he was unable to renew it, forcing him to return to Nigeria and resulting in a decline in his financial capacity.
Gbolagade alleged that his wife subsequently became rude, troublesome and hostile towards him, adding that she also turned their children against him and allegedly disrespected his parents.
He further alleged that his wife attempted to take her own life by drinking Sniper, a pesticide, after he could no longer afford the lifestyle she expected.
Giving evidence before the court, he said, “All these unfortunately changed at the expiration of my visa and my inability to renew it.
“My once loving wife became a pain in the neck. She was unfriendly, troublesome, rude and always sought every opportunity to fight me.
“She did the worst when she attempted to take her life by drinking Sniper because I could no longer afford her lofty lifestyle.”
The husband also alleged that his wife collected more money from him than was required for their children’s school fees, adding that she became hostile when he could no longer afford the high tuition fees of their first child in a private university.
He subsequently asked the court to dissolve the marriage, grant him custody of the children and restrain his wife from threatening him or infringing on his privacy.
However, Omodunke opposed the dissolution of the marriage, insisting that she had remained supportive of her husband throughout their financial difficulties.
She told the court that she had gone as far as selling her piece of land to pay the university tuition of one of their children.
Omodunke alleged that her husband sought the dissolution because he wanted to marry another woman and urged the court to allow the marriage to continue.
She also opposed her husband’s request for custody of the children, asking that they remain with her while he continued to provide for their upkeep.
In her ruling, the court president, Mrs O.E. Owoseni, held that the couple had a valid and subsisting customary marriage because the bride price had been paid.
Owoseni noted that the husband had alleged various forms of intolerable behaviour against his wife and that she did not challenge some of the allegations.
The court subsequently dissolved the marriage and ordered Gbolagade to take responsibility for the education of their second child.
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The judge, however, held that their first child was old enough to decide which parent to live with.
