Husband chins wife, seizes three-month-old baby

Ibadan – A Mapo Customary Court in Ibadan on Friday dissolved the marriage between one Tawakalitu Suleiman and her husband, Mohammed, over the latter’s seizure of their baby.The President of the court, Mr Ademola Odunade, held that seizing a three-month-old baby from the mother constituted a crime against God and humanity.“It is child abuse to deny such a baby access to his mother and wrong to also chain down the mother under any disguise.
“You are very lucky that other parties concerned in the matter have prayed the court to temper justice with mercy.“The case has already gone beyond mere marriage dissolution and has now attained a criminal nature.“In any case, both of you are no longer husband and wife from today and Mohammed shall pay a monthly feeding allowance of N5,000 for the upkeep of the child,” the judge stated.Earlier, Tawakalitu had told the court that her husband chained her down and took her baby to an unknown destination.“I don’t exactly know why Mohammed treats me that way.
“Please, help me take my baby from him and let me go my way,” Tawakalitu had pleaded.
But in his defence, Mohammed said Tawakalitu was mentally ill and needed to be chained down to allow for medical treatment.“ I am local physician and she was brought to me as a patient. I cured her. I told her people that I will marry her and continue to cater for her and they agreed.“Unfortunately, she still experiences the condition occasionally because she inherited it and so I had to take the baby from her to prevent his being harmed.“I gave the child to my mother who takes good care of him,” he said.
Witnesses, who appeared in court, also claimed that Tawakalitu had a mental challenge.