18th March, 2011
The three-month marriage between an estranged couple, Mr. Sunday Alashelu, 35, a soldier and Mrs. Blessing Alashelu, 25, has been dissolved by the Agege Grade ‘A’, Customary Court, Lagos, Southwest, Nigeria due to irreconcilable differences.
Blessing had stated in her suit to the court that there is no more love between them as Sunday does not care for her.
During the hearing, the respondent, Sunday, accused his wife of always picking men’s phone calls and that if he requested to know the identity of the callers, she refused to tell him.
“She had slapped me on this issue before and I took her to the police station. The DPO told us they could not interfere as it is a family issue so we should go and resolve it at home.
“Immediately we got home, she packed her belongings from my house before I got the court summons to appear,†he stated.
He agreed to the dissolution of their 3-month marriage but insisted that Mrs. Blessing must pay back the N46,000 which he paid as her dowry.
“I must collect the money through traditional rites so that she wouldn’t have problem with her new lover,†he said.
On the day of judgment, Blessing brought the N46,000 Sunday demanded to the court.
Mr. E.B. Shokunle, the court president after verifying the payment of the dowry to the respondent, dissolved the marriage forthwith, saying that henceforth, they will no longer be referred to as husband and wife and shall maintain absolute peace wherever and whenever they meet. Appeal could be made within 30 days of the judgment dated 16 March, 2011.â€
—Ibrahim Bakare
