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Grade A Customary Court, sitting in Mapo, Ibadan, Oyo State, has dissolved a 13-year-old marriage between Memunat and Usman over allegations of deceit, lack of love and care, child neglect, physical assault, and domestic violence against the husband.

Testifying before the court, Memunat stated that Usman deceived her into marrying him, explaining that she only discovered after their wedding that he already had a wife.

The plaintiff told the court that she never enjoyed their marriage, describing the defendant as distant, unloving, and uncaring.

She further alleged that he neglected their children and failed to provide for their needs.

Memunat also accused Usman of subjecting her to emotional and psychological trauma through repeated physical assaults.

According to her, he continued to maltreat her even after she moved out of their matrimonial home.

She further alleged that Usman caused a scene at her workplace by attacking her boss, an incident she said eventually cost her job.

In addition to seeking the dissolution of their marriage, Memunat prayed the court to grant her custody of their children and order Usman to take responsibility for their upkeep.

She also sought a restraining order preventing him from threatening her or interfering with her private life.

Usman was absent from court despite having been served with the court summons.

Memunat, in her evidence before the court, stated:

“My husband based our relationship on deceit.

“We got married in December 2013, and he paid my bride price.

“He never told me that he already had a wife.

“I never envisaged ending up in a polygamous marriage. Nevertheless, I accepted my fate and was determined to make the best of the circumstances.

“My husband unfortunately frustrated my efforts daily.

“He was distant and denied me love and care.

“He also neglected his responsibilities towards our children, who were often underfed and lacked basic necessities.

”We never felt his presence in the home.

“My husband is a brute. He abused me emotionally and psychologically.

“He never stopped physically assaulting me and always left me hurting.

“He even beat me in public, thereby ridiculing me.

“He committed the greatest offence when he came to my workplace to fight me.

“In his anger, he descended on my boss who mediated between us and dealt him heavy punches.

“I lost my job after this incident.

“Feeling frustrated, I moved out of his house, but he still refused to allow me peace of mind. He comes to my place of residence to threaten me and constitute a nuisance.

“My Lord, I have had enough of my husband’s atrocities, and I pray this honourable court to rule that we are no longer husband and wife.

“I plead for custody of our children and urge the court to order my husband to take responsibility for their upkeep.

“I further seek an order restraining my husband from threatening me and encroaching on my privacy.”

Delivering judgment, the court president, Mrs. O. E. Owoseni, dissolved the marriage.

The court granted the plaintiff custody of the children and ordered the defendant to contribute N40,000 monthly towards their feeding and upkeep. The defendant was also granted reasonable access to the children.

Mrs. Owoseni further issued an order restraining the defendant from threatening the plaintiff or interfering with her private life.

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A man, Gbolahan, has approached the Grade Customary Court sitting at Mapo, Ibadan, Oyo State, seeking the dissolution of his nine-year marriage to his wife, Sarah, on the grounds of alleged infidelity, incessant fighting, physical assault, and threats to his life.

Gbolahan accused Sarah of being unfaithful to him.

According to him, she was involved in a romantic relationship with a tricycle driver and frequently sent him affectionate messages.

The plaintiff further described Sarah as unfriendly and quarrelsome.

He stated that her constant disputes with neighbours forced the family to relocate four times within eight years.

He added that Sarah became even more hostile, troublesome, and violent after discovering that he was dating two female members of his church.

Gbolahan alleged that his wife regularly insulted, assaulted, and humiliated him.

He claimed that the situation in their marriage worsened when Sarah began threatening him with a knife.

According to him, he moved out of their matrimonial home last year to prevent her from carrying out her threats. He further stated that whenever they met afterward, Sarah continued to verbally abuse and embarrass him.

The plaintiff told the court that he had become exhausted by the defendant’s constant harassment and mistreatment, which prompted him to seek legal intervention.

Apart from seeking the dissolution of their marriage, Gbolahan requested custody of two of their three children and unrestricted access to the third child.

He accused Sarah of neglecting their children, claiming that this was the reason for their unkempt appearance.

He also urged the court to issue an order, restraining Sarah from threatening him and invading his privacy.

In her response, Sarah denied all the allegations levelled against her. However, she expressed her willingness to end the marriage.

Gbolahan, in his testimony before the court, said: “I met my wife in 2017, and we had a customary marriage that same year. I did not pay her bride price.

“Sarah became unfaithful to me after we got married.

“She dated a tricycle driver, to whom she sent love messages on a daily basis.

“We fought over this, and it led to a strain in our relationship.

“I established her in business twice, but she ruined both ventures because of her extravagant lifestyle.

“My wife is hostile and was always at loggerheads with our neighbours.

“I got fed up with constantly settling quarrels between her and our neighbours.

“We lived in four different houses within eight years as a result of her troublesome nature.

“I was not spared from my wife’s cruelty.

“She fought with me continuously after she discovered that I was dating two ladies in my church.

“She also threatened me with a knife on several occasions because of this.

“I moved out of our matrimonial home because my life was obviously not safe with my wife.

“Sarah still refused to let me be. She humiliates me in public whenever our paths cross and verbally abuses me.

“I came to court to put an end to our relationship and her mistreatment of me.

“She neglects our children’s welfare, which is the reason they permanently look unkempt.

“I appeal for custody of our first two children while she retains custody of the third.

“I further request an order restraining her from threatening me and encroaching on my privacy.”

The court president, Mrs. S. M. Akintayo, adjourned the case for the defense.

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The Lagos State Government has commenced plans to assign unique identification numbers to students in public and private schools across the state as part of efforts to strengthen identity registration and improve education data management.

A statement by the Lagos State Government said the initiative is the result of a partnership between the Lagos State Residents Registration Agency (LASRRA) and the Office of Education Quality Assurance (OEQA).

The collaboration was unveiled during a stakeholders’ engagement held at the Office of Education Quality Assurance in Alausa, Ikeja. The meeting was attended by representatives of the education sector, heads of school associations under OEQA, key stakeholders, and officials of both agencies.

Speaking at the meeting, the General Manager of LASRRA, Mrs. Bilikiss Adebiyi-Abiola, said the engagement was organised to meet separately with representatives of public and private schools to ensure the smooth rollout of the student identification exercise.

She explained that the main objective is to capture LASRRA identification numbers for all students across Lagos State.

According to her, having a LASRRA number is already a requirement for enrolment in public schools in the state. She added that the current exercise is aimed at improving the existing system through the use of technology and closer collaboration with education districts.

“For public schools, having a LASRRA number is actually a requirement to be enrolled in Lagos State government schools. What we are doing now is simply improving the process by using technology and working closely with the various districts to collect and consolidate those numbers,” she said.

Adebiyi-Abiola noted that the approach for private schools would be slightly different because many students are yet to register with LASRRA.

“To address this gap, LASRRA will work with OEQA and school administrators to carry out on-site registration across different geographical zones of the state.

“For private schools, quite a few students may not yet have their LASRRA numbers. So, in partnership with OEQA and the schools, we will go to the various locations and register the students directly,” she added.

She said the registration process would take less than five minutes per student and expressed confidence that the exercise would be completed within a few months after field operations begin.

The LASRRA boss further disclosed that both students and teachers in public and private schools would receive standardised identity cards as part of the broader identity and education data integration programme.

She added that discussions are ongoing with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to make it easier for students and school communities to register for and obtain their National Identification Numbers (NIN).

According to her, schools will carry out pre-registration of students before LASRRA officials visit for biometric capture and final verification. She said the arrangement would reduce processing time and prevent congestion during the exercise.

Adebiyi-Abiola also said LASRRA would strengthen its presence through its registration centres across the state’s local government areas to make identity registration more accessible to residents and school communities.

Also speaking, the Director-General of the Office of Education Quality Assurance, Dr. Sulaimon Ogunmuyiwa, said plans were underway to launch radio and television awareness campaigns to educate schools, parents, and students ahead of the exercise.

He said the sensitisation campaign would ensure smooth participation and minimise disruptions when the registration begins across public and private schools.

Ogunmuyiwa described the collaboration as a demonstration of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s commitment to inter-agency cooperation for improved service delivery.

He said the initiative would help ensure that every student in Lagos is assigned a unique identification number to enable the government to maintain accurate education records, monitor academic progress, and formulate policies that improve learning outcomes.

“Our goal is to make sure we give a unique number to every student in Lagos while also registering them as residents of the state.

“Even after leaving school, they will already be captured as Lagos residents, while during their academic journey, the unique identification number will help us track performance and ensure they receive the support required to succeed in life,” he said.

The Director-General added that the exercise would cover both public and private schools across Lagos State. He explained that while public school stakeholders attended the morning session, a separate engagement was held later with private school associations and other stakeholders to ensure broad participation.

The collaboration is expected to improve educational planning, strengthen student data management, enhance identity registration, and support informed decision-making across Lagos State’s education sector.