A 60-year-old Islamic cleric, Jubril Yusuf, has urged an Alimosho Customary Court in Iyana-Ipaja, Lagos State, to dissolve his 23-year-old marriage to his fourth wife, Lateefat.
Yusuf said that he wanted his marriage to Lateefat, who is 52-year-old, to be dissolved because she used to beat his newest wife. He added that Lateefat, with whom he had two children, had turned his new wife to a punching bag.
He said: “Lateefat did not allow my new wife to have peace in the house as she is always fighting and beating her at will.
“My wife is a good fighter; she fights me regularly and al-ways makes sure that she tears my clothes into rags. She always embarrasses my new wife and I in public. Lateefat usually harasses and ridicules us.”
The cleric said that he married another wife because Lateefat stopped washing his clothes for more than five years.
Yusuf said the older wives stopped washing his clothes also it was the duty of Lateefat as the youngest wife, before he married his new wife. According to him, he stopped eating food 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 added. Yusuf asked the court to end the 23-year-old marriage.
The cleric said that he was no longer in love and could not cope with Lateefat’s behaviour anymore. Lateefat, a trader, admitted beating up her husband’s youngest wife.
[NAN]
