‘My Husband Wants To Use Me For Money Ritual’
Bose Oguntoye, a fashion designer, pleaded with a customary court sitting in Agege, Lagos, to end her five-year-old marriage, citing her husband’s fetish practices and threats to her life as reasons.
Oguntoye told the court’s President, Mr. Phillips Williams: “My husband is desperate to make money at all costs. I live in fear of the unknown because of all kinds of charms I see with him. He also beats me the slightest opportunity.”
She alleged that in 2015, her husband took her to a cleric when she was pregnant, who placed a charm on her to make her run mad.
She continued: “He took me to somewhere in Matogun, Ikorodu, under the pretext of curing me and I was fed assorted charms.”
The petitioner said she is still alive due her family’s intervention, who “took me to Ikare in Ondo State, where I spent five months, before I became well.”
Bose alleged that when she came back to her matrimonial home, her husband did not relent in his fetish ways.
‘He vowed to build houses this year’ She said: “He took me to a Muslim cleric, who gave me a substance and told me not to get close to my husband for some time.
“My husband then told me to move to my parents’ house but l refused. This led to a series of misunderstandings between us.
“He said he wants to be rich this year by any means and that he must build houses and buy cars. I said there is no problem with that, as long as he doesn’t use me for money rituals.
“He connived with some officers and they made me write a statement under duress, then forcefully took my children away from me, claiming I was mentally unstable. I had to run for my dear life when I realised he was making efforts to use me for money rituals.”
The respondent, Adewale Oguntoye, who resides at 4, Oluyomi Olusesi Street, Iju-Ishaga, Lagos, however, denied the allegations, but was ready for the dissolution of the marriage.
According to the father of two, there has been a frosty relationship between him and his wife since she came up with the idea of going to another church.
He claimed that she had been keeping late nights and would not disclose her whereabouts, adding “she started misbehaving, keeping all sorts of friends and became disrespectful to me.” The court’s President later invited the couple to his chambers for possible reconciliation, but had to adjourn the case to May 20.
