An Islamic cleric Ganiyu Salami, on Thursday, approached an Igando Customary Court in Lagos, to end his 40-year-old marriage to his wife, Halimatu, for allegedly denying him sex and threatening his life.
Salami told the court that his wife and mother of his eight children had denied him his matrimonial rights by failing in her conjugal duties.
“My wife who sleeps, eats my food and drinks my water has been starving me of sex for 16 years now.
“She will not even allow me to neither touch her nor make love to her.”
The petitioner said that his wife fought him frequently over little issues.
“My marriage to Halimatu has been turbulent and fraught with fights and quarrels; I do not have peace of mind.”
The 59-year-old man also accused his wife of threatening to kill him.
“Another cleric who lives with me told me that my wife was after my life, that she gave him charms to put in my food.
“There was a day she wanted to stab me with a broken bottle but for the quick intervention of my friend who entered at that time and collected the bottle from her.”
The embittered petitioner further alleged that his wife turned their children against him, that she once ordered their firstborn to beat him up.
“My son beat me up mercilessly and tore my clothes to pieces with my wife’s consent,’’ he said.
Salami claimed that Halimatu gave out their daughters in marriage without his knowledge and consent, and that he had never met any of his sons-in-law.
He said that his wife was after the property he inherited from his late father.
“My father’s property belongs to me alone, my wife and children cannot inherit my father’s property but can only inherit my own property.
“My wife is fighting to take over my father’s property from me, claiming it belongs to her and the children.
“I later bought a land in her name so that she and the children can have that as their inheritance, but she went to the landowners begging them to sell the land and give her the money.”
He begged the court to terminate the marriage so that he can have peace, live long and enjoy life.
The respondent, however, admitted denying her husband sex.
“I was ill at a time and when I recovered from my illness, my husband refused to sleep with me, claiming I am a mad woman.
“He went and married another woman without my knowledge and when he later wanted to sleep with me, I refused.”
The 52-year-old trader denied ordering their son to beat her husband.
“My husband and our son had a misunderstanding and our son beat him up, I never ordered him to do so,” she said.
She also denied giving anyone charm to kill her husband and also said she never attempted to stab him with a bottle.
Halimatu rejected claims that she tried to sell the land her husband bought for her.
She consented to the dissolution of their marriage saying she was no longer interested.
The president of the court, Mr Adeniyi Koledoye, urged the couple to maintain peace.
Koledoye adjourned the case until Aug. 20, for judgment, NAN reports.
