A Mapo Grade A Customary Court in Ibadan recently dissolved a 21-year marriage between Omotayo Kumunyi, an Ibadan-based caterer, and her husband, Olatunde, after Kumunyi accused him of poisoning her food and committing acts of domestic violence.
Kumunyi, a resident of the Osungbade area in Ibadan, claimed her husband did not provide for her or their four children. As the situation worsened, Kumunyi left with three of her children, leaving the second child behind with Olatunde.
“My lord, about five years ago, our third child confided in me that she usually saw her father pouring some black substance into my own food whenever I was not there,” Kumunyi told the court. Shocked by the revelation, Kumunyi confronted her husband, who denied the accusation. To test his sincerity, she invited him to eat the food, but Olatunde refused to taste it.
Beyond the poisoning claims, Kumunyi also described the frequent physical abuse she suffered. “As if that was not enough, Olatunde regularly turned our first child and me into a punching bag anywhere he came across us,” she added. Kumunyi then requested custody of the children, explaining that Olatunde would not properly care for them.
Olatunde, a carpenter living on Number 2 Olatunde Street, Police Post at Challenge in Ibadan, admitted to paying the dowry but insisted that he was willing to contribute N5,000 monthly for the children’s upkeep if the court denied him custody. He also stated that he should be given custody of the children, arguing that Kumunyi mistreated their last two children. “The second child with me had been going to school regularly,” he noted in his defense.
In her ruling, the court’s president, Mrs. S.M. Akintayo, agreed to dissolve the marriage, acknowledging the evidence presented by Kumunyi. She granted Kumunyi custody of the last three children and ordered Olatunde to pay N20,000 monthly for their feeding, in addition to being responsible for their education and other welfare needs.
“The first child is 18 years of age, and because he is an adult by law, he has the right to choose whoever to live with between his two parents,” Akintayo stated. “However, the petitioner must allow the respondent reasonable access to the children.”
