Date: 2016-10-13

A 37 year old man, Abdulrauf Mustapha of No 23, Edun Street, Ilorin, has told an Area Court sitting at Centre Igboro to dismiss a petition brought by his former wife, Rashidat Abdulrazaq seeking custody of their four children. Mustapha, a cleric, said his erstwhile lover was not given proper attention to the welfare of the children, who have been with her since the couple went their different ways three years ago. He explained that while they were still together in the 14 year old marriage, which produced the children namely, Hassanat (8), Zainab (7), Ahmad-Rufai (6) and Sazili (5), he complained severally even though the former wife refused to change.

Mustapha urged the court to see the prayer of Rashidat as an attempt to make the children suffer improper care the more as she is not always around to perform her motherly role.

He said, "I beg you my lord to dismiss her (Rashidat) petition, because there is no justification for it. Although, she is my ex-wife, she wants to continue taking custody of our children while she is not performing her responsibility on them even while we were still together.

"We married for 14 years and she left me about three years ago. Our marriage produced four children who are still living with her. But to my surprise, she doesn't provide adequate care for the children as a mother. There was a time I visited the children when she was not around and I saw the eldest among them bathing the last born.

I believe this is not right, and that is why I insisted that I must withdraw my children from her". The presiding judge, Abdulqadir Ibrahim Umar, adjourned the case till November 14, 2016 for continuation of hearing. In another development, a housewife, Alimat Sadia, has asked the Area Court to dissolve her marriage with Suleiman Toyin over incessant beating.

She told the Court that his estranged husband's mother usually joined him in brutalizing her because of her barrenness, insisting that she could no longer bear the frequent attack. "I have packed out seven times.

He will come and beg me that he was sorry for his untoward action against me. He will promise that such beating will not be visited on me again by the time I move in. He has been doing it for long and he was never a man of his word.

This is happening because our marriage has not produced a child. Any time he beat me, his mother usually joined her just because of my barrenness. I want to leave him, my lord", Alimat said. After listening to her, the court adjourned the matter till November 15, 2016 and ordered that the respondent be served for his appearance in court.