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Witterness instead of happiness which has characterized the marriage between Mrs. Eudora Chioma Orji and her husband, Mr Livinus Orji has finally driven the woman to a Grade ‘B' Customary Court Isolo, Lagos, for immediate dissolution of the relationship.
Witterness instead of happiness which has characterized the marriage between Mrs. Eudora Chioma Orji and her husband, Mr Livinus Orji has finally driven the woman to a Grade ‘B' Customary Court Isolo, Lagos, for immediate dissolution of the relationship.
Mrs. Orji who is a police officer with the rank of Corporal told the court that since the marriage was contracted in September 2001, she had never known peace as the husband always turned her to a punching bag, abused her parents and told her that he married her out of lust.
"I never had it well. It was full of pains and sorrow. After marrying me, he started telling me that he regretted doing so and that he married me out of lust. He was always abusing me and equally apportioning blames to my parents for giving him a barren woman to live with," she said.
All these insults, the woman explained started in 2003 when she could not take in for her husband but that God later wiped her tears by blessing the marriage with a baby boy named Peculiar Orji who will be four years old by next month.
That joy according to the plaintiff was short-lived as the husband later abandoned her in the hospital in 2005 when she had a miscarriage and never came back again till date.
"My lord, he abandoned me in March 2005. I got the second pregnancy on March 4, 2005, I had a miscarriage so, while in hospital, I called him on phone and explained what happened but he did not come until late in the night. And when he eventually came, he was not happy with me for the miscarriage. So, he told me he was going home to come back the following day. I asked if he was not coming to see me but he asked me what he was coming to do. Then, my elder brother came and discharged me. He hasn't come to my people to say he is sorry till date," she narrated.
Asked how their marriage was contracted, Mrs. Orji who told the court that her husband did not pay any dowry or bride price said they had a customary marriage which was celebrated in Umudim in Ikeduru local government, Imo State but without registration.
On the financial responsibility in their marriage, Mrs. Orji disclosed that she was the one in control since the husband had unspecified work and could not play his role financially. Even the money for their marriage ceremony she said was paid by her.
Her words: "As at the time we got married, he had no money. He then asked me to lend him money which he would use to marry me. I told him I didn't have. Later, he approached my elder sister for help. My sister in turn asked me to lend him money. Based on that, I lent him N15, 000 while my sister equally lent him N20, 000.
"And for him to pay back my sister gave the money to her colleague (a woman) in office and he was asked to get the money from that colleague. Till date he has not returned the money despite his promise to do so the following year, 2002."
As if that was not enough, the husband, according to the plaintiff visited her at her residence in Lagos on August 10, 2007, while she was preparing to go to court on their case and beat her mercilessly even as he threatened her life.
However, the husband was not in court to defend himself. But the plaintiff's counsel Mrs. Helen Ibeji prayed the court to take decision as it pleased adding that the defendant was adequately aware of the hearing date and had decided not turn up.
Meanwhile, apart from the immediate dissolution of the marriage, the plaintiff wants the court to grant her the custody of their only child and for the man to be paying her monthly allowance of N10, 000 for the upkeep of the boy until he is 25 years of age.
The court president, Mr. Ademola Amode adjourned the case till next month for judgment.