By Olawale Akinremi
A Grade A Customary Court, sitting in Mapo, Ibadan, has ended a 10-year-old cohabitation between one Funmi Olarinde and her estranged man, Olaide Olarinde, on the grounds of “irresponsibility and threats to life”.
Delivering judgment in the matter, on Thursday, the President of the Court, Mrs O.E. Owoseni, held that it was right for Olufunmi to seek legal protection, since she felt that her life and that of the child was not save with Olaide.
Consequently, Owoseni directed both parties to go their separate ways, pointing out that the relationship between the petitioner and respondent “was a mere cohabitation and not a marriage”, due to the absence of the payment of bride price.
“The uncontroverted evidence before the court is that the duo started living together immediately after the petitioner got pregnant.
“In Nigeria, for any marriage to be considered valid, there must be the consent of the parents or guardians, formal handover, gifts’ presentation and payment of bride price.
“In the evidence tendered by the petitioner, nothing was presented to the bride’s parents or guardians,” she said.
Owoseni, therefore, awarded the custody of the 10-year-old child, produced by the relationship, to Funmi.
She said that “the child is not a commodity or piece of cloth that can be taken away by anybody.
“The unchallenged evidence before the court is that the respondent has not been responsible and that he was threatening to take the child away from the petitioner.
“Olaide, who is the respondent, is hereby ordered to be responsible for the child’s education and general welfare.
“The respondent is restrained from harassing, threatening and interfering with the private life of the petitioner, henceforth,” Owoseni said.
Earlier, Funmi, a resident of Oki-Olodo area of Ibadan and a baker, had told the court that she filed the suit to call it quits with Olaide because of his irresponsibility and constant threat to her life.
“My lord, Olaide had abandoned the child and me for the past three years, without anything to eat and does not pay our house rent, and also delays in paying the child’s school fees.
“Thinking that he would change for the better, I packed out of the house on Aug. 13, 2025.
“Thereafter, Olaide started threatening to take the child away from me and, as a result, I locked up my shop for a whole week and ran away,” Funmi said.
However, Olaide was not in court when he was called to respond to the allegations levelled against him.
According to the bailiff, several hearing notices were served on him, but he declined appearance. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)