JUST IN: Kumuyi Divorces His Wife
A Mapo Grade A Customary Court in Ibadan has officially dissolved a 21-year marriage following allegations of food poisoning and domestic violence brought by Omotayo Kumunyi, a local caterer.
Kumunyi, who resides in the Osungbade area of Ibadan, told the court that her husband, Olatunde, had failed to provide for her and their four children. She explained that she had moved out with three of the children due to persistent challenges in the marriage, while their second child remained 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,” she told the court.
“I was shocked by this piece of information and confronted him with the revelation.
“Subsequently, I invited him to eat part of the food, and he declined tasting from it.
“As if that was not enough, Olatunde regularly turned our first child and me into a punching bag anywhere he came across us.
“I also beg the court to grant me custody of the children because Olatunde will not adequately take care of them,” Kumunyi added.
Olatunde, a carpenter residing at Number 2 Olatunde Street, Police Post at Challenge, Ibadan, did not directly refute most of the claims against him but confirmed that he had paid dowry to Kumunyi’s family. He argued that he should be granted custody of the children, alleging that his wife mistreated the younger ones.
He stated that if denied custody, he would only contribute N5,000 monthly for their upkeep.
“The second child with me had been going to school regularly,” he said.
Delivering judgment, the court’s President, Mrs. S.M. Akintayo, dissolved the marriage, affirming that it had been legally contracted. She granted Kumunyi custody of the three youngest children and ordered Olatunde to provide a monthly feeding allowance of N20,000, in addition to covering their education and welfare needs.
“The first child is 18 years of age and, because he is an adult by law, he has the right to choose whom to live with between his two parents,” Akintayo stated.
She also ruled that Olatunde must have reasonable access to his children and issued an order restraining him from harassing, threatening, or interfering in Kumunyi’s private life.
