A 44-year-old woman, Susan Lijadu, yesterday told a Lagos Island Customary Court, that her husband, Folarin forced her to make a covet with him.
Folarin, 47, had in April urged the court to dissolve his 20-year-old marriage for alleged lack of trust and love.
Susan, a mother of four, told the court that their marital problem started in 2000 when her husband became blind as a result of a motor accident. She said he became suicidal, aggressive and very jealous and in 2013, he forced her into making a covet with him.
“Since he became blind everything about him has changed. He once tried to kill himself but I pleaded with him and assured him that everything would be well. He also became aggressive toward me and one day, he nearly strangled me to death. If not for our neighbours, who came to my rescue, I would have been dead.
“Three years ago, he ordered me to buy a cockerel, three colanuts, bitter-cola and alligator pepper. I was stripped naked in the presence of one herbalist from Ondo State. I was told to swear that no other man would ever see my nakedness or have s3xual intercourse with me except my husband. All the items were buried in a hole dug in front of our room,” she stated.
Susan told the court that her husband, who did not make the same covet with her, had impregnated one of their tets and wants to divorce her.
“My husband wants to dump me after putting an embargo on me,” she stated.
Folarin denied forcing his wife to swear an oath, adding that she was the one who urged him to make her take the oath and that he did not swear with her.
He stated that he filed for the dissolution of their marriage when he could not control her. “I did not impregnate our tet, I am not interested in the marriage again. I want a divorce,” Folarin stated.
The Court President, Mr. Awos Awoshola, reprimanded them on the oath taking. “No one can predict what will happen tomorrow, we humans are always changing. We want something today, that thing might become what we detest tomorrow,” Awoshola stated.
He added that before the court could dissolve the marriage, the covet must be broken and that the two parties must provide evidence that the oath had been revoked. He ordered both parties to maintain peace and adjourned the case till May 24 for further hearing.
Guardian