On Tuesday, a 42-year-old teacher, Mrs. Imabong Akwaoku
begged the Alimosho Customary Court in Lagos to break up her 20-year-old
marriage over abandonment. The mother of three told the court that her husband,
Patrick, left their home since 2006 and had refused to come back.
“My husband disappeared from the house 10 years ago to an
unknown destination, he refused to either call or come home to see me and his
children, she said.
She told the court that her husband ran away from home
because of an alleged fraud in his office.
“When his company was to arrest him, he ran away from the
house and abandoned us. When his company could not found him, I was arrested
and detained so that my husband can come out of hiding. Despite this, my
husband did not surface, it was my family that came to bail me,” she said.
The petitioner said that she and her children used to call
her husband initially, but that he was always hostile and aggressive on the
phone.
“Patrick was always shouting at us whenever we called;
later, his phone numbers were no longer reachable. It’s been 10 years now; I
don’t even know anything about him. When I contacted his uncle on phone, he
told me that my husband was in Port-Harcourt,” she said.
Imabong said that she had been the one taking care of the
children as Patrick’s family members did not show any concern.
“I have been the one responsible for the children’s school
fees, feeding and rent. My husband’s family does not know if we exist; they
cannot even recognise the children if they see them,” she said.
Imabong urged the court to dissolve the marriage, saying she
was tired and no longer in love with her husband.
The President of the court, Alhaja S.O Mumuni, after
listening to the petitioner, adjourned the case to September 26 for further
hearing.
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