A Grade A Customary Court sitting at Mapo in Ibadan has ended the six-year relationship between one Sherifat Olasunkanmi and her estranged partner, Ahmed, over repeated screwdriver attacks.
Delivering judgment, the court’s President, Mrs O. E. Owoseni, held that continuous threats to life could lead to more disastrous consequences if not addressed.
Owoseni said that the relationship between Olasunkanmi and Ahmed was a mere cohabitation in the first place and not a valid marriage.
She added that the two parties had testified that there was no payment of bride price and formal handing over of the bride.
She awarded custody of the four year-old child produced by the union to Olasunkanmi, noting that he would be best catered for by his mother, being in his formative years.
However, Owoseni directed Olasunkanmi to allow Ahmed a reasonable access to the child and ordered him to be fully responsible for the child’s welfare, education and medical care.
The president of the court granted the order restraining the respondent from harassing, threatening and interfering with the private life of the petitioner, henceforth.
Earlier in his testimony, Ahmed, a commercial tricyclist and a resident of Muslim-Boluwaduro area of Ibadan told the court that he was no longer willing to cohabit with his spouse because of her violent and intolerable disposition towards him.
“My lord, after Olasunkanmi moved in with me in 2020, she started exhibiting all sorts of intolerable habits such as unnecessary anger and usually fight with me.
“In fact, at any slightest provocation, Olasunkanmi would bring out a screw driver with the intention of stabbing me with it.
“As if that was not enough, her father did all he could to pacify her to turn a new leaf from being violent, but she soon resumed her troublesome habit after a while.
“On Dec. 2 2023, while I was sleeping, Olasunkanmi forcefully broke into my bedroom with the intention of fighting me, because I have not completed the payment of our child’s school fees.
“It was one of our neighbours who came around that day to rescue me from that situation.
“Besides, she attacked me inside Agbeni market, tearing down my clothes and disrupting my work for the day,” Ahmed said.
Responding, Olasunkanmi, a businesswoman and a resident of Muslim Ibadan admitted threatening the petitioner because he had refused to paid their child’s school fees.
Olasunkanmi was however, silent on the frequent screw driver attacks allegation levelled against her.
She prayed the court to grant her custody of the child.
