Court dissolves marriage over man’s failure to pay N12,000 bride price balance

A housewife, Zuwaira Abdulaziz, has asked a Magajin Gari Shari’a Court, sitting in Kaduna, to dissolve her marriage to her husband, Musa Dantsoho, over the latter’s failure to pay outstanding balance of her dowry.

Zuwaira, the petitioner, on Wednesday told the court that Dantsoho, only gave N7, 000 out of the agreed N20,000 dowry prior to their marriage, with a pledge to pay her the outstanding N13, 000 after.

She said the defendant has reneged on the agreement even after the marriage had produced two children.

According to her, the agreement between her and her husband was not written and was never disclosed to her parents.

“I never told my parents that he didn’t pay the complete dowry because I trusted him; unknown to me, he is a man with no integrity”, she told the court.

The petitioner begged the court to dissolve the marriage through `Khul’i, a permission granted wife to initiate divorce in Islam, and pledged to return the N7, 000 as dowry to her husband.

However, the defendant denied the allegation, saying he had since paid his wife the outstanding N13, 000 as dowry.

Dantsoho was made to swear to an oath over his claim.

In his judgement, the Khadi, Malam Dahiru Lawal dissolved the marriage and ordered Zuwaira to return the N20, 000 paid as her dowry.

He said, “following the oath the defendant took, I Dahiru Lawal hereby dissolve the marriage between Musa Dantsoho and Zuwaira Abdulaziz.

“She will return the dowry of N20,000 she received from him.”

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