Wife accuses husband of violence, alcoholism in divorce case
A woman named Morufat Osuniyi has come forward with distressing evidence against her husband, Tijani Osuniyi, at the Grade A Customary Court in Mapo, Ibadan, Oyo State.
She is seeking a divorce due to her husband’s violent and erratic behaviour.
Morufat stated, “My husband and I got married in 2016. We had a traditional wedding. My life, contrary to my thinking, took a negative turn immediately I started living with my husband. I started contending with my husband’s shortcomings early in our marriage. Some of these I did not notice until I moved in with him.”
“My husband gets easily provoked. He goes violent when in this state and can kill. I have on several occasions been a victim of his wrath which almost left me incapacitated.”
“Tijani in addition to this is a drunk. He drinks himself to stupor almost every day. The more I complained the worse he became.”
“I learnt early in our marriage to bear my cross because my husband was never willing to carry any responsibility in the home. He preferred that our children and I starve to death than that he stopped drinking.”
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“I bore the demands of our children’s education because he never showed interest in it, while their feeding and clothing also become my duty.”
“My husband would descend on me with punches when drunk and would leave me hurting.”
“The first time he beat me, I threatened to leave him and he called unto his family members who pleaded that I stayed. I accepted their pleas and went on with our marriage.”
“A few months after this, he got angry, became fierce and almost killed me. I packed my belongings and went back to my parents. That was a few weeks to our first wedding anniversary.”
“I agreed to return to him almost two years after the incident after much pleading again from his family members.”
“Five months after I moved back to my husband’s house, he took up a fight with me and then went for a knife. Tijanni drew a knife at me and would have killed me if I did not take to my heels.”
“He is in the habit of fighting me with dangerous objects which is one of the reasons I no longer want to stay married to him.”
“I have left him and took our children along with me.”
Morufat further revealed that her husband neglected his responsibilities at home, leaving her and their children to suffer.
She had to take on the responsibility of their children’s education and well-being, as he showed little interest in those matters. She also expressed concerns about their safety if she were to continue living with him, fearing for her life due to his violent behaviour.
Despite pleas from his family members for her to return to him, Morufat chose to live separately, recognizing that his behaviour was unlikely to change.
She argued that her decision was influenced by her concern for their children’s well-being, as she worried about the potential harm he could cause them.
In light of the evidence presented, Morufat requested that the court grant her a divorce and custody of their children. She also asked that her husband be held responsible for their children’s upkeep.
However, Tijani, the defendant, did not appear in court despite being served with summonses.
Morufat’s testimony shed light on the difficulties she faced in her marriage, marked by violence, neglect, and fear.
The president of the court, Mrs. S.M. Akintayo, adjourned the case until October 16 and ordered that a new hearing notice be issued and served to the defendant.