A caterer, Mrs Rukayat Oshin, on Thursday, told a Customary Court sitting at Ile-Tuntun, Ibadan, Oyo State, to dissolve her 16-year old union with husband, Femi Oshin, for loneliness and alleged abandonment.
Rukayat, a mother of one, testified before Chief Henry Agbaje, President of the court, that her husband suddenly ran abroad without informing her, leaving her for eight years in trauma and starvation.
The petitioner, who resides at Elebu area of Ibadan, further said that her spouse had completely made up his mind not to continue with their marriage because he no longer communicated with her, after collecting her N1 million.
“My lord, things were going on well between Femi and I, until eight years ago when he disappeared, and there was nowhere his family and I did not search.
“Sixteen months after his disappearance from home, however, he called me from abroad using an international line, apologising for his action. Though he still does not cater for us, I requested him to take me and the child to his new abode.
“Femi immediately objected, saying he was not financially buoyant to fund my trip as he was still struggling to survive. I suggested that I will provide N1 million, of the required N1.5 million needed for the trip, and that he should provide the rest.
“Since I sent Femi the cash, he started giving various excuses as to why he hasn’t sent me the travel documents. In fact, he stopped picking my calls about five years ago and does not even want to hear anything about me again.
“I informed his mother and younger brother, who blamed me for being so foolish sending someone money, who is abroad and who does not care about me,” she said.
Femi was not in court to defend the allegations leveled against him and nobody represented him in the suit.
The bailiff said that he had served a summons on Femi’s mother, but that she might have chosen not to honour the court’s invitation.
The court president, consequently dissolved the union, and urged the petitioner to seek happiness and peace elsewhere, since it was her wish.
He granted custody of the only child from the union to Rukayat and ordered Femi to pay N10,000 monthly upkeep, in addition to paying for the child’s education and other needs.
The president ordered the Registrar to send a copy of the judgment to the respondent’s mother. (NAN)
