…says ‘he hasn’t had sex with me in one year’
I was avoiding sex because of Nigeria’s economic situation – Hubby
A mother of two, Sherifat Adetunji, has pleaded with a Lagos Island Customary Court to dissolve her marriage to her husband, alleging that he has been indulging in ritual activities.
Sherifat, who told the court that she had been experiencing “serious weight loss in recent times,” attributed the cause of her health problem to alleged rituals performed on her by her husband, Monsuru Adetunji.
The 36-year-old seamstress alleged that, following the rituals, her husband was no longer ejaculating in her during sex.
The mother-of-two said her 10-year-old marriage was blissful until five years ago, when things began to change.
According to her, her husband had brought a man to their home to pass the night, adding that in the middle of that night, the two of them allegedly performed some rituals.
She lamented that her husband could go on for a year or more without making love to her and that when he did, he would not ejaculate in her.
Sherifat said, “My husband brought a man to pass the night in our house and in the middle of the night, they performed some rituals; since then I have been growing lean.
“He never showed any concern about my state of health or why I was growing lean everyday. My husband has been starving me sexually; sometimes he would not touch me for a whole year and when he did, he would not release inside me.
“I have complained several times about my dissatisfaction over his attitude towards our sexual life, but he has refused to change.”
She, therefore, prayed the court to dissolve the marriage and give her the custody of their two children – Alia, 8 and Kismat, 5.
Her 38-year-old husband, who is a trader, told the court that he thought his wife was happy in their marriage because they hardly
quarreled.
He said he was surprised, when she packed out of the house and brought him to court for the dissolution of their marriage.
Adetunji admitted his sexual behaviour, saying that it was due to the current economic recession so as to prevent his wife from getting pregnant.
He said, “I stopped making love to her regularly and releasing in her because of the present economic situation in the country so that she would not get pregnant. The man she said I brought home was a distant relation, who had no place to pass the night.
“The reason my wife has been losing weight is because she does not give herself rest of mind. She is always worried about one thing or
the other.”
He urged the court to dissolve the marriage as he was no longer interested in the union because she had already moved out of their matrimonial home.
The Court President, Awos Awosola, said that the marriage institution could only work if the two were in agreement.
He said, “Marriage is for two people, not one; your wife should also have a say in the home.
“Since she has complained several times that you are starving her sexually, you should have made amends.
“If you do not want to get her pregnant, you can always use condom.”
