A Grade ‘A’ Customary Court in Ibadan has dissolved the 13-year marriage between Susan Udeze and her estranged husband, Frank, on grounds of an alleged threat to life.
Delivering judgment, the court’s president, Mrs S.M. Akintayo, held that she dissolved the marriage in the interest of peace and order
Akintayo awarded custody of the two children to Udeze and ordered Frank to pay N15,000 monthly as a feeding allowance.
She ordered Udeze and Frank to be jointly responsible for the education, medical and other welfare of the children , also ordered Udeze not to deny Frank access to the children.
The president of the court also granted the order restraining Frank from harassing, threatening and interfering with the private life of Udeze.
Udeze while testifying in January 2022, told the court that her husband might “sniff life out of her if she continued to live under the same roof with him”.
“Frank labelled me a witch and sends me out of the house at night after beating the hell out of me.
“He showed no form of consolation when my mother died. He does not provide for our three children.
“I became more scared of Frank when he threatened to pour acid on me. I reported the incident at the police station and ran away from his house,” she said.
However, the defendant was not in court when he was called to start his defence.
If there is a pattern of domestic abuse in a marriage, that’s certainly a valid reason to walk away from your marriage. Many people think that abuse is only physical, but emotional and financial abuse are also quite common. Yelling, neglect, constant displays of anger, withholding money, vulgar comments, and other negative displays can be just as damaging.
However, in cases where abuse is physical and ongoing, especially when children are involved, being together can be dangerous. Getting away should be an immediate priority.