My wife abandoned me for 6 yrs, man tells court

A man, Mr Nuel Ode, has prayed a Customary Court in Area 8, Abuja, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), to grant him divorce from his wife, Maria, on grounds that she abandoned him.

Nuel, the petitioner, in his divorce petition, said, “I never enjoyed any care and affection from my wife since the consummation of the marriage.

"All the steps taken by me to get closer to my wife, resulted in insults and cruelty.”

According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the petitioner told the court that his wife moved out of their matrimonial home six years ago.

“My wife left our matrimonial home on August 26, 2019 with the pretext that she was going for her grandmother’s  funeral.

“She never returned to our home since then. 

"I made several attempts that she might return to me but she refused to.

“It is on this ground that I seek for divorce from my wife,” he said

He also prayed the court to grant him custody of their three children.

The respondent, Maria, a businesswoman was present in court and she denied all the allegations brought against her.

She consented to her husband’s prayer for divorce and begged the court not to grant him custody of their last child.

“My husband cannot take care of our last child because she is still a baby and she has some health challenges,” she said.

The presiding judge, Mr Festus Enomhonse, advised the couple to explore out of court settlement and adjourned the case.