There was a mild drama at an Idi-Ogungun Customary Court,
Agodi-Ibadan, Oyo State on Tuesday when a woman, Suriat Adewale,
rejected custody of her three children, including a 12-month-old baby.
Suriat
had protested the decision of the court granting her custody of the
children in a divorce suit instituted by her husband, Suleiman Adewale,
saying she had no means of livelihood and would not be able to cater for
them.
The two other children are aged five and three.
The
court did not, however, entertain her plea, a situation which made her
to attempt to abandon the kids in court but was prevented.
Earlier,
the president of the court, Mr. Mukaila Balogun, had dissolved the union
and ordered the three kids of the couple to be in the custody of
Suriat.
Balogun said the kids were too young to be left in the
custody of the husband, stressing that at that age, the mother was in
the best position to take care of them effectively.
He also ordered
the plaintiff to pay N10,000 monthly to Suriat for the upkeep of the
three children and for both parties to take responsibility for the kids’
welfare.
In the suit, the husband asked the court to dissolve
the 15-year marriage on the grounds that Suriat was disrespectful and
had abandoned her matrimonial home for five months, leaving behind the
three children. Adewale told the court that Suriat packed out of her
matrimonial home sometime in September 2016 with the kids, but returned
them last February.
“I pleaded with her to allow the children
stay with her for proper care, but she refused and asked me to look for a
nanny who would take care of the children.
“It has not been easy for me since, because the third child was just seven months old when she abandoned them to me.
“I
pray the court to dissolve the union and also give her custody of the
children so that I would be able to face my business and have money to
take care of the children,“ he pleaded.
In her defence, Suriat
prayed the court not to dissolve the marriage, saying she was forced to
leave her matrimonial home nine months ago to avoid untimely death due
to inhuman treatment by her husband.
“Adewale was in the habit
of beating and accusing me of committing adultery; I decided to stay
away from him, I intend going back to him when I see changes in his
character,“ the woman said.
Labels: Divorce, Gist, marriage, news