Ibadan court dissolves 21-year marriage over poisoning, domestic violence

The Mapo Grade A Customary Court in Ibadan on Friday dissolved a 21-year marriage following a petition from Omotayo Kumunyi, a caterer based in Ibadan. Kumunyi cited poisoning and domestic violence as the grounds for the dissolution of her marriage to her husband, Olatunde.

Kumunyi, a resident of the Osungbade area, testified that her husband failed to care for her and their four children. She revealed that, about five years ago, their third child disclosed to her that she had seen Olatunde pour a black substance into her food when she wasn’t around. Kumunyi confronted her husband, who denied the allegation and refused to taste the food in question.

She also claimed that Olatunde regularly abused both her and their first child physically. “Olatunde made us his punching bags whenever he saw us,” Kumunyi said, adding that this violent behavior had pushed her to move away with three of their children, leaving one behind with Olatunde. She requested custody of all four children, expressing concerns that her husband would fail to properly care for them.

Olatunde, a carpenter from Challenge, Ibadan, did not directly respond to most of the accusations but acknowledged that he had paid the dowry to Kumunyi’s parents. He insisted on being granted custody of the children, stating that Kumunyi had mistreated the two youngest children. He offered to contribute N5,000 monthly for their upkeep if he was denied custody.

In her ruling, the court’s president, Mrs. S.M. Akintayo, granted custody of the three younger children to Kumunyi and ordered Olatunde to pay a monthly feeding allowance of N20,000 for their upkeep. The court also directed him to cover their education and general welfare.

Regarding their first child, who is 18, the court acknowledged their right to choose which parent to live with. Additionally, Akintayo issued an order restraining Olatunde from harassing, threatening, or interfering with Kumunyi’s private life in the future.