A Customary Court sitting at Mapo in Ibadan on Thursday dissolved a 5-year-old marriage between an Islamic teacher, Niheen Salami, and his wife, Taiwo, over the regular beating of the later.

President of the court, Ademola Odunade, said that he dissolved the marriage in the interest of peace and order.
Odunade awarded the custody of the two children to Taiwo and ordered that Salami should pay N10,000 monthly to Taiwo as their feeding allowance.

He also ordered Salami to be responsible for the children’s education and other welfare.

Earlier, Taiwo, a resident of the Amunloko area in Ibadan, approached the court to dissolve their marriage due to regular beating at the slightest provocation.

She said that the beatings had caused her bodily harm.

“My husband beats me whether I’m pregnant or not; he tortures me. He does not know when not to beat his wife.
“I am tired of the regular beatings because I don’t want to die before my time,” she said.

She told the court that Salami forcefully took their two little children from her.

“The last time I saw the kids, they were in a sorry state; wandering in the neighbourhood and dirty,” Taiwo said.
In his defense, Salami told the court that he usually beats Taiwo because she was fond of going into the neighbour’s bedroom, who was a bachelor.

He said that he had repented and appealed to his wife to forgive and forget his ill-treatment against her.
“My lord, the reason why I usually beat Taiwo is that whenever we are in bed, she manages to snick out into a bachelor’s bedroom living in the same house with us.

“I have warned her on many occasions, but she keeps going into the bachelor’s bedroom.

“I promised not to beat her anymore and I even sent our mosque’s Imam to intervene on my behalf, but Taiwo refused to listen to him,” Salami said.