National Daily

Lagos businessman laments marital injustice

By EMMANUEL UDOM

A businessman in Lagos appears not to be too happy over a recent judgment delivered by a customary court in Oshodi, granting his wife the legal backing to divorce him and marry a pastor.

The businessman, Williams Orji stated that the dissolution of his marriage to Police Woman Chioma Eudora by Mr A. G Amodu, President of Grade B Customary Court in Oshodi did not follow due legal process.

In a chat with National Daily, Orji said that on May16, this year, the court president with Messers: A, R Egbesola, A. A Haastrup and Mrs F.T Ekundayo and M.T Ndu Ewulonu as members formally dissolved his marriage, which was contracted traditionally in Imo state in 2001.

A copy of the court judgment with suit No:ICC/CV/O11/2007, revealed that on August 31, 2007 Mrs Eudora Chioma Orji, filled for divorce on the grounds of dissertation by the respondent, parties have lived for two years separately, no more love and irreconcilable differences between the parties.
The judgment further stated that the woman at the center of the marital storm sought the immediate dissolution of the marriage, that the only son of the marriage should be in the custody of her mother and any other order the court deem to make in the circumstances.

However, in his submission, Williams Orji stated that he got married in the tradition way to Chioma in 2001 after meeting all the demands from her people at Ikeduru Imo state.
His wife according to him started engaging in extra-marital affairs which attracted stern warning from him because it was affecting all facets of their lives.

According to him, the wife misinterpreted the advise to mean that he was pestering and trying to control her life, which eventually led to her packing away from the matrimonial home sometime in 2005.
The businessman further explained that Chioma eventually moved out after demanding N250,000 from him to Ijesha area of Lagos, he noted that he visited her there after their families intervened.
Mr. Orji revealed that one day, while on a visit to his wife, he noticed one Pastor Sabenuis coming into her apartment. Immediately she locked her door and switched off her phone.

However, Williams is rattled that while the court the court was yet to conclude it sitting and delivered its judgment, his wife went to The Guardian newspaper and change her name from Chioma Williams to Mrs Chioma O. Anorue. The change of name appeared in Saturday Guardian of Saturday, May3, this year.

In her submission at the court, Chioma said her husband is a wife barterer, who delights pleasure in inflicting pains on her at the slightest provocation. According to her, when a child did not come as soon as they got married in 2001, Williams began to rain abuses on her and her parents, cursing them for given him a barren woman to marry.

She equally claimed during a court session that she borrowed her husband N15, 000 to marry her and that so-called dowry he paid have been returned back to his family, before she initiated the marriage to her new husband.
The president however resolved the marriage between Chioma and Williams and ordered the respondent to pay N50,000 as alimony to the petitioner as well as pay N5,000 every month to her for the upkeep of his son.