My wife locks me up, stops me from going to work – Husband tells court

A man seeking divorce, has told a Mapo Grade A Customary Court in Ibadan that his wife bullies him and prevents him from going about his daily activities.

Mr Kazeem Yekini pleaded with the court on Thursday to dissolve the marriage between him and his estranged wife, Opeyemi.

Accordingto the applicant, the union had ruined his life and his wife locks him up in the house thereby barring him from going to work.

He said Opeyemi was in the habit of blackmailing him everywhere and causing untold damage to his reputation.

Yekini also accused his wife of casting a spell on him. He told the court that neighbours and family members never attempted to intervene “because they are afraid of her’’.

He said; “As if these were not enough, she locks me up in a room, thus preventing me from going to my daily business.

“She also seized my car keys and invited the `Amotekun’ corps (the security network in the Southwest) to deal with me for no reason”.

Opeyemi did not deny any of the allegations levelled against her under cross-examination, instead, she prayed the court to help her resolve the matter amicably.

“It is true that I have been fighting my husband without justification. Before he decided to come to court, however, I tried all I could to pacify him, but he refused to listen to my pleas for mercy.

“If he maintains his stand, I pray the court to grant me custody of the only child between us,” Opeyemi pleaded.

Delivering judgment, the court’s president, Mrs S.M. Akintayo noted that the marriage between the duo was not duly consummated and, hence, illegal.

She pointed out that there was no evidence before the court that Yekini paid Opeyemi’s bride price and concluded that there was no marriage to be dissolved in the first place.

Akintayo awarded custody of the only child to the respondent and ordered Yekini to pay a monthly allowance of N10,000 for the child’s upkeep.