I’m Afraid of My Wife, NURTW official tells Court

Despite being a member of the dreaded National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Mr. Abibu Banire, has disclosed to the Agege Customary Court that he is afraid of his second wife, Mrs. Kuburat Banire, and that he can no longer continue to live with her because she broke a bottle and threatened to stab him during a recent disagreement.

Abibu is seeking the dissolution of his marriage to Kuburat, whom he married about six years ago on grounds of no more love, lack of rest of mind, constant fighting, lack of care and other irreconcilable differences.

But in her response, Kuburat pleaded not guilty to all the charges raised against her by her husband, saying she is not ready for divorce. She contended that her husband was being economical with the truth, that he is seeking divorce because she asked him to pay back the N60, 000 she lent him last month.


Abibu confirmed that he borrowed N60, 000 from his wife but said that the manner Kuburat requested for the money was of great concern. He insisted that the money in question had nothing to do with the divorce he is seeking. Said Abibu, “I married two wives and both of them live separately.

Despite marrying two wives, I always do my best to satisfy both of them. The first wife doesn’t complain but my second wife complains a lot. Anytime we have argument, she always raises her voice at me.

She has torn many of my clothes while fighting with me. “I am even afraid of her now because of her trouble and I can no longer live with her. That is why I decided to separate from her so that I can have peace of mind.

My blood pressure is high and I believe the best thing for me is to leave her so that I can live peacefully.
“There was a time she lent me N60, 000 and she kept threatening me about the money. She even disgraced me publicly over the money. In fact, there was a day she broke a bottle and threatened to kill herself. That is why I have been avoiding her. “I don’t want to be married to her anymore.

I cannot continue to be her husband, considering the way she breaks bottles. I see her actions as very dangerous and continuing to stay with her may be dangerous.” In her response, the defendant, Kuburat, who sells sundry items at a motor park, described her husband’s allegations as a tissue of lies, insisting that despite their disagreements and his constant beating, she had never thought of divorcing him.

Kuburat tendered two pictures she took after she was beaten by her husband, saying she had made several efforts to reconcile with her husband, especially since she received the court summon, but her husband turned a deaf ear to all her appeals

Her words: “I don’t want to divorce my husband and I have called him many times to tell me where I went wrong but he refused to tell me my offence. What he is telling me is that he doesn’t want me anymore. I have tried several efforts to reconcile with him. I have visited several members of his family and his friends to help me appeal to him, but he has refused to listen to my pleadings.

“I see this suit as a deliberate plan by my husband to punish me. I believe that the cause of this divorce suit is because I asked my husband for the N60, 000 I lent him on July 15, 2013. He promised to pay me back the money, but when I asked him for it, he threatened to divorce me if I insist on being paid the money. I took the money out of my trading capital, so I need him to pay up.

But he says if I collect the money, there is no more love and no more marriage between us. He later gave me N20, 000 grudgingly and the next thing I received from him was the court summon for a divorce suit. ”

The Court President, Emmanuel Shokunle adjourned the case to September 3, 2013 for mediation and asked both parties to bring three witnesses each for mediation.

 Talk of Naija