Joke, 42, who resides at No 18, Oke-Ila, Ado-Ekiti, in her testimony before the court said her husband always beat her whenever she demanded for money to buy food items.
The complainant further stated that the inability of her husband to pay the tenancy of where they reside made the Landlord to send them out of the house, adding that this made them to start living separately.
Joke stated that she secured another apartment where she resides with the children, while her husband went to stay in his mother’s house, adding that whenever he comes visiting, he would foment trouble in the house.
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The mother of five said that her husband was not ready to work, thereby making it difficult for him to feed his family.
She said, ‘’There was a day he threatened to kill me with cutlass.
“I reported him to his aged mother and younger brother; they said that they were fed up with his behaviour.”
Joke also told the court that her husband who works as a security guard in a private company spends his salary on alcohol.
‘’He does not bother to take care of me and the children, but it is also not convenient because I am a fruit seller, ’’she said.
She said that their first child, Sefunmi, 20, had gotten married, while the second child, Kayode, 16, was currently staying with her brother because her husband could not cater for his family.
The 42-year-old added that the last three children were staying with her and prayed the court to award custody of the children to her.
It was learnt that the defendant repeatedly refused to appear in court.
While delivering his verdict, the President of the Court, Mr Joseph Ogunsemi, observed that the marriage had broken down and as such it was better for the couple to go their private ways.
Ogunsemi however granted custody of the last three children to the complainant while ordering the man to pay the sum of N3, 000 on each of the three children as their monthly feeding allowance.
He also stated that the education of the children was the responsibility of the couple.