13th July, 2011
An attempt by a divorce-seeking mother of two, Mrs. Cecilia Nwujo to refund the sum of N1,060 dowry paid on her 17 years ago has been rebuffed by her husband, Mr. Dickson Nwujo.
The middle-aged jewellery dealer who abandoned her matrimonial home, husband and kids for another another man, recently approached an Ojo Grade ‘A’ Customary Court, Ojo, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria, seeking the dissolution of her marriage.
Giving reasons for her decision, she said she was angry with her husband because he invited the police to arrest her and her new lover and forced her to live with him.
She also told the court that she intended to marry her new lover, hence the need to dissolve the union with the respondent.
“I’m tired of living with Dickson. He ordered me out of his house late last year because I told people the secrets of our union; how I pay the house rents, children’s school fees and general welfare. He accused me of all sorts of evil deeds, including witchcraft and that I was responsible for his ailment.
“When he sent me packing, I took our two kids to the village and spent three months there. During those trying times, he never visited home, neither did he call or sent a text asking about the welfare of the children.
“Then in April, he appeared from nowhere and took the kids away without consulting me.
“Following this, I knew our marriage was doomed and I met elders of both families to make my intention to divorce him known to them.
“I also managed to raise the N1,060 dowry he paid on me and attempted to return it to him but he ignored me,†she said.
The Ebonyi state born mother of two said further: “All efforts to make my husband and his family accept the dowry failed, as they wanted me to remain in the union.
“I found my way back to Lagos and instead of going to my former house, I moved in with my new lover.
“I was living peacefully with him, until one fateful morning when some policemen came to arrest us. They accused him of abduction and I was forced back to my estranged husband’s house. I told the policemen the problems I had with Dickson and that they should leave me alone.
“They begged me to give him a second chance and that he would change but throughout the period there was no change. He kept doing things to annoy me,†she narrated.
She pleaded with the court to dissolve the marriage and grant her custody of the two kids.
In his response, the defendant shocked the court when he maintained that despite his wife’s gross act of infidelity, he still loves her and wouldn’t want the dissolution of the marriage.
The President of the court, Alhaji T.A. Said adjourned the case for the respondent to give his evidence.
Both parties were also advised to keep the peace, pending the determination of the suit.
—Jamiu Yisa