No longer able to condone his wife's penchant for troubles, neglect and infidelity, the man summoned courage, strength and with the support of his children, dragged his wife before the President of Otto-Ijanikin customary court seeking relief and the formal dissolution of their 26-year old marriage.
Kemi Filani was in court as the visibly embittered man narrated to all present the rejection, sojourn and pains he went through in the hands of his wife who ought to be by his side in such trying times.
He maintained that the fact he had become handicapped and dependent was enough worry to send him to his early grave coupled with the gross act of infidelity flaunted by his wife.
Recounting how it all began, he said:
"I got married to Kashimawo at age 26 just like every other marriageable man. Although I wouldn’t say our marriage was rosy because there is nothing like a perfect marriage, but we resolved our minor quarrels and fights amicably. I had also noted that my wife was money conscious. She is easily carried away by material things.
"The trouble all began when we both had a ghastly road accident on our way to my home town. After the accident I lost consciousness but was revived days later, later I discover that some parts of my body was seriously affected. I couldn’t move my legs and hands. After my discharge from Lagos state teaching hospital (LUTH), I was taken to a local bone healer who also administered her own healing powers on me,” he said.
After months of intensive care and bones massage, he was brought back home but surprisingly to him he was to meet the worse as his wife had practically turned against him.
Burdened with his deteriorating health conditions, Mr. Akinwale also had to face his troublesome wife who seemed to have vowed to make life miserable for him. And not just for him but for every other member of his family including the landlord and neighbors, thus has her niggling nature earned her a nick name; iya oni jogbon (mother of troubles).
She has become a regular visitor to Ada-loko police station, Badagry consequent to her bad manners, arrogance and regular fights.
Lamenting further, he said “When I returned from the hospital, my wife worsened my predicament by making life uneasy for me. She picks quarrels and fight over minor issues, and anytime any of the children want to intervene she would beat the hell out of him or her.
"The most recent fight she had was with our last born, a 15 year old girl. Yemisi confronted her for daring to hit me and a big fight ensued, not satisfied with the beating she merciless dealt on the little girl, Kashimawo went ahead and set all the poor girls cloth ablaze.”
Still stuck in between the hot tears rolling down on his cheek as he narrated his ordeal, Sodiq told the court that the most painful part of his experience was his inability to perform his marital duties due to the damage on his manhood caused by the road mishap. But luckily for him, he started feeling a bit of life in his below region as the bone healer kept massaging all his body. This later resulted into having erection months later. Although a bit weak but he was eager to quench that burning desire for s*x he had endured for long.
He continued, “For the first few months my wife was responding to my desire for s*x. Whenever I feel a little bulge in my manhood, I quickly beckon on my wife for a little intimacy. We manage the erection to our best satisfaction. But along the line, she started withdrawing and was no longer giving me the attention I sought.
I confronted her; she bluntly told me that my half dead manhood can no longer satisfy her... She would no longer grant me my conjugal rites. All pleas to make her act responsibly fell on deaf ears, as she callously insisted on s*x-starving me. It is over six years now...
"As if that punishment wasn’t enough, I have been hearing rumors of her illicit romance with other men and how she has been gallivanting with even street boys. Some of them even have the nerves to come looking for her at our shop, even in my presence. Each time I confront her of her evil deeds, she wouldn’t waste much time in tongue lashing me, calling me all sort of names. I am fed up with everything and can no longer cope.
"I urge this honorable court to grant my prayers for the formal dissolution of this absurd marriage to save me from untimely death, help my kids secure their future,” he concluded.
WIFE'S REACTION
Mrs. Kashimawo Akinwale relayed her own part of the story, accusing her husband of being the peck of their marital crisis owing to his recent predicament.
The middle aged woman who admitted not knowing her age, claimed her estranged husbands’ quick temperedness is the canker-worm eating up the love and peace that they once shared as a family.
“I own-up of my inabilities to meet up with the demands on my husband in his recent health conditions, but he is not helping matters at all. He gets irritated and angered over flimsy excuses and when he does that whatsoever one says to him would become a very big offence.
Based on that problem his family abandoned him to his fate, but that notwithstanding, I still love my husband... but would wish to let him go,” she asserted.
The union was dissolved and award money of N28,000 given to the respondent for self maintenance.
