A woman, Oluwatoyin Ilori, has dragged her husband, Femi Ilori, before Grade A Customary Court, Mapo, Ibadan, Oyo State, on the grounds of irresponsibility and battery.

Oluwatoyin stated that Femi abandoned his responsibility towards her and their children.

The plaintiff explained that the defendant seldom gave her and their children feeding allowance and that he passed the bulk of the responsibility of their children’s training in school to her.

According to Oluwatoyin, she borrowed money to pay their children’s accumulated school fees which led to their children being sent back home by their school authorities, but that her husband wasted the money by spraying it during their church harvest.

She also said that she took loans on his behalf from different sources, but that he reneged on his promise to pay them back.

The plaintiff stated that she was forced to pay her husband’s debt to save herself from embarrassment.

Oluwatoyin explained that the only thing Femi was good at was fighting and beating her.

She further said that the defendant later threw her and their children out, after which he took to trailing and assaulting her physically and verbally in public.

Oluwatoyin told the court she wanted a clean cut from her husband and therefore prayed for the dissolution of their marriage.

She also pleaded for the custody of their children and an order restraining her husband from assaulting her in public and in her place of abode.

Femi denied all the allegations brought against him, but agreed to divorce.

Oluwatoyin in her testimony said, “My husband threw me and our children out last year after he almost sent me to an early grave by constantly beating me.

“We fight almost all the time because he rarely ever gave me and our children feeding allowance. He was nonchalant towards our survival.

“My husband pleaded with me many times to collect loans on his behalf which I did, but he always reneged on his promise to pay back.

“I took loans from financial institutions, through apps on the Internet and even from my office.

“I had no choice but to pay these loans when it was becoming an embarrassment to me.

“I was forced to take another loan after our child broke his arm while playing in school.

“My husband did not contribute a dime towards his treatment.

“I later discovered that he was using the pitiful state of our son to beg for money from people.

“I got mad with him when I learnt about it and scolded him.

“Our children were sent home by their school authorities as a result of the accumulated dept of school fees.

“My husband rather than being ashamed of himself went to fight the school authorities.

“He fought and damaged some items in the school which got the school more angry.

“I, again got a loan to offset the debt we were owing the school.

“My husband, to my chagrin took the money where I kept it and sprayed it in church during harvest.

“The school authorities later wrote the establishment where I work that I owe them the amount of N106, 000 as our children’s school fees and demanded to have it paid under two weeks.

“The money was later deducted from my husband’s salary.

“He has refused to pay our children’s school fees since he threw us out.

“My husband began to monitor my movements after he sent me packing.

“He trailed me to my new abode, beat me and forcefully took our children away from me.

“I reported this incident at the police station and he was invited.

“Our children were later returned to me, while we both reached an agreement that he would have access to the children on Saturdays.

“My husband assaults me both physically and verbally. He is fond of calling me unprintable names.

“I changed our children’s school, but he came to their new school and pounced on me when he saw me.

“He held my neck and almost strangulated me.

“I reported him again at the police station.

“My lord, my husband has refused that I have rest of mind.

“I pray that the court end our marriage and grant me custody of our children.

“I further plead that my husband be made responsible for our children’s feeding, education and medical care.

“I also request that the court stop him from assaulting me physically and verbally in public.”

The president of the court, Mrs S.M Akintayo, after she had heard the plaintiff, adjourned the case till December 12.