A Dei-Dei Grade I Area Court was approached by Sa’adatu Ayuba, a housewife seeking the dissolution of her 27-year marriage to her husband, Jalija, citing alleged impotence as the reason.
The petitioner and Jalija entered into marriage in 1997 in accordance with Islamic law, and they have five children together, aged 25, 22, 14, nine, and seven.
“I got married at the age of 16, and I have been faithful to my husband throughout our marriage,” said Sa’adatu.
“For the past two years, we have been having issues because he has been involved with another woman outside our marriage.
“He has been unable to fulfill his responsibilities as a man, and I am exhausted from dealing with his behavior. I seek a divorce for the sake of justice,” she added.
In his defense, Jalija refuted the petitioner’s claim, denying any involvement with another woman.
“I have taken another wife, and I am fulfilling my duties as a man. We even have a child together from our marriage in her village,” he stated.
He maintained that he has always fulfilled his role as a husband.
However, Sa’adatu challenged her husband’s statement, asserting that the woman in question was his girlfriend.
She claimed that she had no knowledge of his marriage to the other woman.
The presiding judge, Malam Saminu Suleiman, instructed the couple to resolve the matter amicably within a week and adjourned the case until Jan. 17 for an update.
