… says ‘My husband didn’t tell me he had a wife’
… says ‘My husband didn’t tell me he had a wife’
An embattled man, Mutiu Odeyale, has told a Customary court sitting in Ake, Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, that he has not been able to locate his four children since his wife, Muibat, packed out of their matrimonial home with the children about five years ago.
Muibat had dragged her husband to court in a suit numbered 0/25/2018 for lying about his marital status before they got married in 2015.
The mother-of-four told the court that Mutiu, who married her according to Islamic rites, did not tell her that he was married with a child before she lost her virginity to him.
Muibat is, therefore, seeking a divorce with her husband on the grounds that he lied that he was single, foments trouble and is uncaring to her and her children.
She prayed the court to dissolve their 18-year-old union and stop her husband from harassing her at her residence or place of work.
She said, “I have been married to my husband for 18 years but he lied to me from the beginning that he never had a wife or children before I allowed him to disvirgin and marry me.
“I want the court to dissolve our marriage because he lied to me and has not been taking care of me and my children. I want the court to also stop him from further coming to my house or place of work to harass me.”
In his defence, the man claimed that he disclosed to his wife that he had a wife and children at the outset.
Mutiu told the court that his wife packed out of the house with the children and since then, he had not been responsible for their upkeep since he did not know their whereabouts.
“I told her that I was married with children and that I was still very much married to my first wife,” he said.
In her judgment, the President of the court, Mrs O. O Sam-Obaleye, dissolved the marriage on the grounds that the couple were no longer interested in each other and asked the husband to be responsible for the children’s school fees with payment of N15,000 monthly.
