By Romanus Okoye, Lagos
An Igando Customary Court in Lagos has dissolved the 48-year-old marriage of an old couple after the husband complained his wife denied him his conjugal rights for ten years.
The court’s president, Mr Adeniyi Koledoye, said that since the petitioner, Mr Mojidi Osho, insisted on divorce after several interventions, the court was left with no other option than to grant him his prayer.
‘The court hereby pronounces the marriage between Mr Mojidi Osho and Mrs Tolu Osho dissolved today,’ he said. ‘Both of you henceforth cease to be husband and wife. Each of you should go his or her separate ways unmolested; the court wishes both of you well in your future endeavours.’
The president ordered the petitioner to pay N250,000 to his wife as a severance fee and another N250,000 for her to get a new accommodation.
Mr Osho, a 72-year-old mechanic, earlier told the court to nullify his marriage because his wife was denying him his conjugal right.
‘The last time my wife allowed me to sleep with her was 10 years ago,’ he said. ‘I am starving seriously but whenever I come home with my girlfriends, she will chase them away.’
Mr Osho accused his wife of threatening to kill him so that she could inherit his property.
‘My wife wanted to kill me. She has been feeding me with poison. There was a day I fainted and was rushed to the hospital. It was detected that I ate poison. I thought I would not survive it, but God saved me and I stopped eating her food,’ he said.
The man alleged his wife was a witch who kept attacking him in the spiritual realm. ‘On two occasions, she shot arrows at me in my sleep which led to sicknesses, but God healed me. She also buried charm in my workshop and customers stopped patronising me. My wife made me impotent, but I survived it after spending a huge amount on hospital and herbal treatment,’ he claimed.
‘Tolu makes my life miserable. I would have gone far in life if I had not married her. I regret the day I met her and I wish I could turn back the clock,’’ Osho said.
According to him, Tolu stopped washing his clothes 27 years ago.
He begged the court to end the marriage to save him from committing murder.
Responding before the dissolution of the marriage, the wife, a 68-year-old trader, said, ‘I stopped him from making love to me four years ago when he started bringing different girls home to sleep with, after which he will want to sleep with me; so I refused him,’ she stated.
The mother of ten denied threatening her husband’s life. ‘I did not poison my husband’s food since 1973 when we got married, is it now that I will poison him? He is just looking for excuses to discard me. He came to this court to divorce his second wife, now he wants to also divorce me so that he can marry a new wife,’ Tolu said.
According to her, Osho is fond of invoking curses on their children, which, according to her, has affected their lives.
The respondent begged the court not to grant her husband’s wish for the dissolution of their marriage, saying she still loved him.