Marriage Counsellor’s Wife Seeks Divorce Of 14-Year Marriage Over Alleged Adultery, Violence

A businesswoman, Motunrayo, married to an evangelist and popular marriage counsellor, Bayo, has asked an Ekiti State High Court sitting in Ikere Ekiti to dissolve her marriage of 14 years over alleged domestic violence, battery, and adultery.

Motunrayo told the court that all efforts by clergymen, families, and friends of the couple to save the marriage from collapse had failed, hence the need for her to take legal action.

According to the wife, her counsellor husband had not shown any remorse for the alleged battery and infidelity, adding that the marriage was now irretrievable.

The mother of two in the suit with Petition Number HCR/61D/2023 filed by her lawyer, Mr Temitope Omotayo, said her husband’s alleged serial brutality against her forced her to leave her matrimonial home in April 2022 to save her life.

She asked the court to dissolve the marriage and grant her custody of the two children.

The petitioner alleged that her husband, during one of the several incidents of violence in their home, broke her head with a POS machine leading to her admission at the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital.

She asked the court for an order of perpetual or perennial injunction restraining him or any of his agents from further assaulting, battering, embarrassing, intimidating, or insulting her in any way or manner henceforth.

She also prayed to the court for an order for the custody of the two children produced from the union.

She said: “About three months into the marriage, I found out that the respondent had not ceased from adultery and that the lady he presented as a relative got pregnant for him which made me confront him with the allegation; but instead of him to be remorseful, he assaulted me and even destroyed our wedding gifts and other valuables.

“During my cohabitation with him, I contracted sexually transmitted diseases several times from him. When I tried to talk to him about it, the only response from him was serious assaults for which several people intervened to no avail.

“I left our matrimonial home in May 2022 in order to save my life and when I could no longer condone the mental and physical abuses of the respondent.”

In a counter-affidavit filed by his lawyer, Dr Michael Afolayan, the husband denied allegations of domestic violence, battery and infidelity brought against him.

Bayo accused the petitioner of infidelity, saying she posted photos she snapped with other men on social media.

He said it was the petitioner who deserted their matrimonial home and that all efforts made by the clergy, family, landlords association and other individuals to reconcile them failed.

He also prayed the court to grant him custody of the children and access to them, especially at weekends and holidays, claiming that the petitioner denied him access to their children.

He also asked the court to dissolve the marriage because it had broken down irretrievably.

Hearing commences in the divorce suit on 15th April 2024.