An Igando Customary Court in Lagos on Monday saved a four-year marriage between Mrs. Musilimotu Olashuyi and her husband, Gbenga, who conspired with a cleric to sleep with her.
Musilimotu had, earlier approached the court,
seeking to end her marriage,
claiming that an Alfa made love to her with her husband’s approval.
“Actually, my husband got to know the Alfa through me
because I always go to his mosque to pray.
“When he told me that my husband’s business was not prospering,
I brought him home to meet my husband.
“Before I knew what was happening, my husband had conspired
with him to use me for money ritual.
“It was with my husband’s consent that the Alfa had
sexual intercourse with me for three days.
“After the incident, I started getting sick and getting
emaciated and I told people around me what happened,
which led to the arrest of the cleric and my husband ran away.
“My husband resurfaced at the station after the cleric
brought a remedy to cure me.”
The 48-year-old trader said that her husband had refused to
repay the loan she collected on his behalf and
for which she stood as a guarantor.
The petitioner told the court that her husband also threw her
belongings out of their matrimonial home in her absence during
which over N800,000 she kept in her boxes were stolen.
She begged the court to dissolve the marriage,
saying she was no longer in love with her husband.
Rebutting the allegations,
Olashuyi told the court that his wife and her concubine,
the cleric, persuaded him to buy a coffin for money ritual.
“My wife brought the Alfa home.
He told me that God revealed to him that my business was collapsing,
and that he would make some rites.
I agreed because, truly, my business was not moving well.
“Since that day, my wife has been coming home with the
cleric with different objects and concoction for
me to drink and bath with, all of which I used.
“Later, the cleric asked me to bring N800,000 to buy some items
for another rite. He also told me to buy a casket for him
to make money ritual for me that I will put it in
a separate room where nobody will enter except me.
“My wife begged me to comply with the Alfa’s request, but I declined.”
The 55-year-old businessman accused his wife of infidelity,
claiming that the cleric always came to make love
to her on their matrimonial bed.
“I got to know that the cleric was sleeping with my wife
in our room when Musilimotu brought the Police to arrest
him for using charm on her to rape her.
“The cleric told the Police that he never hypnotised my
wife to rape her, claiming it was with her consent
he made love to her on three occasions.”
The respondent said that he packed his wife’s belonging
out of his house when he wanted to sell it after giving her
three months’ notice, but she refused to pack out.
He consented to the dissolution of the marriage that
had produced a child, saying he was no longer interested
and did not love her anymore.
However, following the intervention of the court,
presided over by Mr. Akin Akinniyi,
and the couple’s families, they were reconciled.
The wife also wrote a withdrawal letter to the court
and said that they would work to resolve
their differences and make reconciliation.
Akinniyi, while striking out the case,
admonished the couple to maintain peace
and to continue to live in love and harmony.
“Since the court was able to reconcile the couple through
thorough counselling, I urge both of you to go home
and live in peace and love,” Akinniyi said.
