A lecturer at the University of Ibadan, Oyo State, Dr Bilikis Babarinde, has asked a Grade A Customary Court, Iyaganku, Ibadan, to dissolve her marriage to her husband, Prof. Sikiru Babarinde.
The plaintiff, who is a lecturer at the Department of Library, Archival and Information Studies, Faculty of Education, told the court that the 20-year marriage had broken down completely and should be dissolved.
Her husband is a lecturer at the Department of Early Childhood and Educational Foundations in the same faculty in the university.
The plaintiff is also asking the court for an order granting her the custody of their three children and an order mandating the defendant to bear full responsibility for the payment of their school fees, books, feeding and medical expenses until they complete their university and post-graduate education.
She also requested that her estranged husband pay N100,000 monthly for the children’s upkeep.
The lecturer also asked the court for “an order of perpetual injunction restraining the defendant from harassing, molesting, and intimidating the plaintiff in her staff quarters and anywhere the defendant sees the plaintiff.”
The defendant, however, filed a notice of preliminary objection challenging the jurisdiction of the customary court to entertain the matter when it came up before the court on Wednesday.
His counsel, Mr Yusuf Anikulapo, while speaking to journalists, said, “A customary court lacks the jurisdiction to entertain a matter on a marriage conducted under the Islamic law.”
Counsel for the plaintiff, Mr Olufemi Adegoroye, also said in an interview with journalists that the defendant had agreed to the dissolution of the marriage, but came up with new things which were not contained in a counter-affidavit.
The President of the court, R.B. Gbadamosi, adjourned the case till April 11 for hearing of the preliminary objection.
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