An Oyo State customary court sitting at Mapo, Ibadan, has restrained a woman, Idayat, from threatening or interfering with the private life of her estranged husband, Hakeem, following allegations of repeated violent attacks, including chasing him with a cutlass during domestic disputes.
The Grade A Customary Court, Court 2, delivered the ruling while deciding a divorce suit filed by Hakeem, who told the court that his wife turned their home into what he described as a “battlefield” and made his life unbearable.
Hakeem alleged that Idayat was persistently aggressive, disrespectful to his relatives, friends and neighbours, and hostile to his first wife and children, whom she allegedly barred from entering his apartment.
According to him, the situation deteriorated to the point where his family members and friends abandoned him because of his wife’s conduct.
“My wife and I were always at loggerheads. She would argue with me, fight me and threaten to kill me,” Hakeem told the court. “Anytime we had an altercation, she chased me with a cutlass and swore that she would kill me. I left the house when it became obvious that my life was no longer safe.”
He further claimed that even after he moved out, his wife continued to harass and assault him whenever their paths crossed.
Hakeem asked the court to end the relationship, restrain his wife from further threats and interference, and grant him custody of their children, arguing that her behaviour set a bad example for them.
“My only regret in life is that I married her,” he said, adding that the marriage began to collapse shortly after they started living together.
However, Idayat denied all the allegations and opposed the dissolution of the union, citing the welfare of their four children. She insisted that she had been solely responsible for their upbringing and accused her husband of neglect.
She urged the court, in the event of a ruling in her husband’s favour, to compel him to pay N70,000 monthly for the feeding of the children and to take full responsibility for their education and healthcare.
“It is true that no wedding ceremony was held and no bride price was paid,” she said. “But I do not want a divorce, and I do not want my husband to have custody because the children are still young.”
Delivering judgment, the court president, Mrs O.E. Owoseni, held that there was no valid customary marriage to dissolve, as the essential rites, including the payment of bride price, were never performed.
She noted that the defendant failed to challenge the evidence of threats to the plaintiff’s life, describing this as an admission of the claims.
On that basis, the court ordered Idayat to desist from threatening or interfering with Hakeem’s private life.
The court, however, granted custody of the children to the woman, while giving the man reasonable access to them. It also directed Hakeem to take responsibility for the children’s upkeep, including their feeding, education and healthcare.
The ruling brings an end to a long-running domestic dispute marked by allegations of violence, threats and persistent hostility.
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