An Igando Customary Court in Lagos State has dissolved a 10-year-old marriage between one Mr Joel Ocholi and his wife, Felicia, over adultery and denial of sex.
The Court President, Mr Adeniyi Koledoye, while addressing the court on Monday, said that it appeared that Mr Joel Ocholi, 45, and his wife, Felicia, were fed up with their union as efforts to reconcile them failed.
“Since both parties consented to the dissolution, this court has no choice than to dissolve the marriage.
“The court hereby pronounces the marriage between Joel Ocholi and Felicia Ocholi dissolved today, both of you henceforth cease to be husband and wife.
“Each of you should go his or her separate way unmolested; the court wishes both of you well in your future endeavours.
“The custody of the only child of the marriage is awarded to Felicia while Joel must be paying N5,000 monthly for the child’s feeding and must be responsible for her education and general welfare,” Koledoye ruled.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Joel had sought divorce, accusing 40-year-old Felicia of adultery.
“Felicia displayed her ex-boyfriend’s pictures in our room; I ordered her severally to remove the pictures and stop calling the man but she refused.
“When I could no longer condone it, I removed those pictures and burnt them.
“She started moving around with men when my business was no longer flourishing,” he said.
The printer alleged that Felicia denied him sex for two years and returned her bride price.
According to Joel, Felicia said that he was not man enough and could not take care of her.
He told the court that Felicia burnt all their pictures and uniform clothes.
The petitioner described Felicia as heartless, saying that she was happy when his mother died.
“When our pastor came and begged us to lend him N2 million, I told our pastor in the presence of my wife that we did not have money, but my wife borrowed N1 million from each of my brother and her colleague and gave it to our pastor without my knowledge.
“I got to know when there was a quarrel between her and our pastor over the money. It is three years now, the money has not been paid.
“I am the one paying her debt in instalment to my brother,” Joel said.
Responding, Felicia, a businesswoman, denied having extra-marital affairs and accused Joel of infidelity, NAN reports.
“A woman brought a boy of three years’ old to our house at 11pm claiming my husband is the father and that she came to take her rightful place; when I asked my husband, he said nothing.
“He borrowed money from me for something important, but used it to rent an apartment for the woman,’’ Felicia said.
She said that she returned her bride price because her husband wanted to kill her.
“My husband told me that he went to a herbalist to get something to put in my body so that if I sleep with another man, I will die but the herbalist advised him not to do it.
“That was why I returned the bride price because my life is no longer safe in his house,” she said.
The respondent added that Joel was not providing for her and their only child.
“There was an agreement when we got married that when we build our house, we would move out of his family house.
“We have built two houses of six flats, yet he refused to leave,” Felicia added.
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