Court Dissolves 5-Year Old Marriage Due To Suicidal Attempts And Battery

A 5-year old marriage has been dissolved by a  Jos Upper Area Court, on Monday over wife battery and infidelity.

The petitioner, Mercy Zoakah ,told the court that her husband of five years, Danjuma Zoakahoften beat her and is cruel.

She also said her husband cheats on her as she has proof of messages from other women to him.

The petitioner also said that the respondent had on several occasions made attempts to commit suicide and had once been disarmed with a knife by neighbours while trying to kill himself.

Mercy, however, urged the court to dissolve the marriage as there was no love between them, while the respondent pleaded with the court not to dissolve the marriage as he still loves his wife.

Delivering his judgment, the Judge, Yahaya Mohammed, said the couple could no longer live together as the marriage has broken down irretrievably.

Mohammed said, “The court has no choice than to dissolve the marriage, in spite the fact that the husband still claims he loves his wife, but his wife insists on getting a divorce.

“Both parties are no longer husband and wife, and they are free to go their separate ways.”

The court, however, granted custody of their only child to the petitioner, and gave the father of the child the right to visit the child within a reasonable interval.

He said that any aggrieved party had 30 days within which to appeal the judgment.

NAN