Bello Zakariyau of Niger Road, Ilorin on Thursday told an Ilorin Area Court that his wife was in the habit of slapping him whenever he asked her for food. He therefore prayed the court to dissolve the three-year-old marriage with Fatimoh Zakariyau, because he was tired of her slaps.

The petitioner told the court that his wife was hot tempered and aggressive. "My wife slapped me just because I asked her for food and also shouted on me to get off her sight if I don't want trouble," he said.

The 46-year-old man told the court that the problem started on Sept 11, 2012 when the wife refused to cook for him and their only child. He told the court that their marriage was contracted in 2009 and had produced a male child, Ananfi, aged 2. "My Lord, I want an end to this marriage because I am so scared of my wife," said the husband.

The defendant denied the allegation, saying the slaps she gave her husband was a mistake.

"It was a mistake that my hand went to his face because I was trying to protect myself when he was coming to beat me," she said.

Fatimoh told the court that she refused to cook for the family because her husband does not provide money to prepare the food and asked the court not to grant the prayer of the plaintiff, saying that she was still interested in the marriage.

The presiding Judge, Mr Ibrahim Abdulquadri adjourned the case to Dec. 27 to enable the couple to reconcile.