The Ile-Tuntun Customary Court in Ibadan, Oyo State, on Thursday dissolved a 25-year-old marriage between one Mary, a mother of two and her husband, Apostle Ayoku Israel.
Vanguard reports that the marriage was dissolved over insensitivity and claims by the husband that God revealed to him not to have their daughter educated.
Mr Henric Agbaje, the president of the court, held that it was obvious that there was no more love between the couple, hence, the need for the dissolution.
The arbitrator warned the duo against any form of harassment and awarded the custody of the female child of the marriage to Mary for motherly care.
He, however, asked Ayoku to take charge of the 16 year-old male child. Mary resides at Amunloko area while her husband, Ayoku lives at Olunloyo area of Ibadan.
In her earlier submission to the court, Mary said her husband had, for their 25 years of marriage, been insensitive to anything happening to her and he had refused to send their children to school.
“My lord, I was sick for seven years, Ayoku neither bothered to know my whereabouts nor give me anything for treatment. “Ayoku did not marry me legally; he did nothing to know my parents and even refused my bearing his name.
“Worst still, he had refused to give quality education to our first child, who is already 24 years old.
“Ayoku had always argued that the Lord revealed to him that the girl should not be educated but should engage in petty trading.
“I have been solely responsible for the education of the child that is in school.
“Instead, Ayoku keeps moving from one mountain to another for his so-called evangelism.
“Please my lord, give me custody of the two children for proper care,’’ Mary said.
However, Ayoku who agreed with the divorce; denied all the allegations levelled against him by his wife.
“I sent money to her through her elder sister when she was sick and I have been responsible for the children’s education.
“The two children are in court, they can testify to it,’’ Ayoku said.
