'My wife is a prostitute' - Husband; 'You forced me into it' - Wife replies

A 36-year-old housewife, Eniola Ogbonna, told a Customary Court sitting in Osogbo, Osun State, that she had to take to prostitution so as to be able to feed her children when her husband, Hanni Ogbonna, refused to take care of his responsibilities.

The messy divorce was instituted by her husband who told the court that his wife had taken to prostitution and did not have time for him and their children.

The woman who begged the court not to grant the divorce for the sake of the children, narrated how she found herself in prostitution.

“It is true that I flirt around, but my husband showed me the way. About eight years ago, I lost my job but my husband, was not giving me money, so I became a harlot. He was always discriminating between me and the senior wife in the provision of money for our children.

Whenever we had a quarrel, he was always beating me. Even with all these, I do not want a divorce because of my children.”

But the plaintiff, Hanni insisted on the divorce:

“We have been married for 12 years and we have four children. My wife has become an adulterous person. She has no time for the children because of her promiscuity.

I have prevailed on her to change her attitude, but she refused. All these are giving me unrest. That is why I have come to seek divorce.”

In granting the divorce, the Court's president, Chief Popoola Bolarinwa declared that since it was the plaintiff that insisted on the break up, the court had no reason not grant him his wish.

“The plaintiff has insisted on divorce and rejected the appeal by the court to make reconciliation. The defendant is an unrepentant prostitute, who is not willing to change. We hereby dissolve the marriage.”