A 31-year-old man, Kehinde Oludayo, on Friday told an Idi-Ogungun Customary Court, Agodi, Ibadan, that his wife, Jumoke, 26, was gang-raped while seeking love charms from spiritualists.
Describing the attack on his wife as “sexual battery,” Oludayo made this known when he testified in the petition brought by his wife seeking dissolution of their seven-year marriage for alleged brutality and lack of care.He told the court that his wife fell into the hands of fraudsters while shopping for love charms from Alfas, but she was “sexually battered” in the process.
The father of two accused his wife of infidelity and lack of respect for him as her husband.He told the court that his wife never obeyed his instructions, saying her curiosity for miracles led her to fall into the hands of some fraudsters that took sexual advantage of her.
“My lord, she didn’t recognise me as her husband because she lives a carefree life.Her search for love charms from some fraudsters that pretended to be Muslims clerics made her to fall prey and she was gang-raped.Though she opened up to me and pleaded for forgiveness, her attitude didn’t change after the shameful experience,” he said
The respondent denied the allegation of brutality and that he tried his best in performing his responsibility as a husband and father of the two children of the union.He alleged that his mother-in-law pushed his wife to divorce him, saying his in-laws hate him.He, however, pleaded with the court to resolve the issue instead of dissolving the marriage, saying he still loves his wife despite what she did.
Earlier, Jumoke had told the court that her husband turned her into a punching bag and always threatened her life.She described her seven-year marriage with the respondent as a “calamity,” saying she was tired of constant beating.She further said that Oludayo never cared for the upkeep of their two children, and that he didn’t treat her with love.
She, however, was silent on the allegation of being “sexually assaulted,” and gang raped, but insisted that the court should dissolve their marriage.Jumoke threatened to kill herself if the court fails to grant her request.The president of the court, Mukaila Balogun, said that evidence of both parties, especially that of the petitioner, had proved that there was no more love between them.
Balogun noted that the rampant cases of domestic violence, which had led to wives killing husbands and husbands killing their wives were enough to uphold the request of the petitioner.“Though, the court prioritizes resolution of marriage disputes, it is handicapped in some instances.
“The marriage is therefore dissolved and custody of the two kids is given to the petitioner.The respondent is ordered to pay N7,000 monthly for the upkeep of the children and should be responsible for the education of the children.”
(NAN)