A middle-aged man, Kunle Isalu, has urged a Grade “C” Customary Court in the Ejigbo area of Lagos State, to dissolve his 10-year-old marriage to his wife, Lara, over allegations of excessive smoking and drunkenness.
The Police prosecutor said that the complainant, Isalu, made the allegations during the court’s sitting in Ejigbo Local Council Development Area of Lagos State. He told the court that the union, which had produced four children aged eight, six, four and two, respectively, developed problems when Lara started keeping bad friends.
Isalu said, “Lara has always been a very good wife until of recent, when she started keeping a bad company of friends. The very day I came home from a month’s journey was when I first noticed that her mouth smelled of alcohol and cigarette.
“She has since grown to be an unrepentant smoker and drunk. She now drinks at will to the extent that they know her in all the bars in Ejigbo here.
She does not even have respect for her marital status or the integrity of our children; the situation has forced me to chase her out, but now I want a formal dissolution of the marriage.” He added, “All our children are still with me and I’m sure they don’t want to go with her. I really can’t explain what the problem is. We have summoned various family meetings to make her change, but all have been to no avail.
“I want her to drop my name after this dissolution, my Lord.” The President of the court, Raimi Oyegbenle, decried the absence of the respondent in spite of series of court summons served on her. He, however, ordered a fresh summon to be served on Lara, compelling her to appear in court on the next adjourned date. Oyegbenle thereafter adjourned further hearing on the matter till April 29.
