Cleric seeks divorce from 4th wife over alleged constant beating of new wife

Segun Majekodunmi

A 60-year old Islamic cleric, Jubril Yusuf, on Wednesday urged an
Alimosho Customary Court
in Iyana-Ipaja, Lagos State, to dissolve his 23-year old marriage to
his fourth wife, Lateefat,
for alleged beating of his new wife. Mr. Yusuf told the court that
Lateefat, with
whom he had two children, had turned his new wife into a punching bag.
“Lateefat did not allow my new wife to have peace in the house as she
was always fighting
and beating her at will,’’ he said. The petitioner described Lateefat
as a troublesome woman that was always fighting him and in the process
would tear his clothes.
“My wife is a good fighter; she fights me regularly and always makes
sure that she tears my clothes into rags before leaving me. “She
always embarrasses my new wife and I in
public. Lateefat usually harasses and ridicules us.” he said.
The cleric said that he married another wife because his fourth wife
had stopped washing
his clothes for more than five years.
“I married another woman because my fourth wife refused to wash my
clothes and my other
wives cannot wash them because it is the duty of the youngest wife to
wash my clothes,’’ he
said.
According to him, he stopped eating foods prepared by Lateefat because
he was afraid she
might poison him. “My wife always tells me that if she knew that I was
going to marry another wife after her, she would have destroyed my
life. “So due to her statement, I stopped eating her food because I
don’t want to die now,’’ he said. Mr. Yusuf asked the court to end the
23-year-old marriage.
The cleric said that he was no longer in love and cannot cope with
Lateefat’s behavior
anymore. Also, the 52 year-old wife  a trader, admitted beaten up her husband’s
youngest wife. Lateefat told the court, “She looked for my trouble.
When I came to the house to see my husband in respect of my children’s
welfare, his wife started raining curses and abuses
on me. “So I descended on her because I am not her mate,’’ she said.
The mother of two said that her husband begged her to marry him then.
"He sworn with the holy Quran that he would not marry
another woman, he promised me then that I would be his last wife. “I
did not want to marry him because he already had three wives then.
“But when he begged me and sworn with the Quran then that he would not
marry another wife, I agreed to marry him but he failed to fulfill his
promise,’’ Lateefat said.
The respondent, however, pleaded that the court should not grant her
husband’s wish, claiming that she was still in love with her husband.
The court president, S.O Mumuni, admonished the couple to
maintain peace.
She adjourned the case to February 17, 2016 for further hearing.