Court dissolves marriage of police officers over domestic violence, infidelity

A Grade A Customary Court sitting at Mapo, Ibadan, has dissolved the 30-year marriage between two police officers, Gladys Faniyi and her husband, Abayomi Faniyi, over allegations of domestic violence and infidelity.

Delivering judgment on Thursday, the court’s President, Mrs S. M. Akintayo, said the marriage was terminated in the interest of peace, noting that both parties no longer wished to continue living together as husband and wife.

“The marriage between the petitioner and the respondent is hereby dissolved, as the union has broken down irretrievably,” Akintayo ruled.

She further ordered Abayomi to take responsibility for the education and general welfare of their children and granted a restraining order preventing him from harassing or embarrassing Gladys.

Gladys, a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), told the court that she approached it to end what she described as years of domestic abuse and to ensure her husband takes responsibility for their children.

According to her, the marriage, which began on September 23, 1996, was plagued by constant conflict and physical abuse.

“From the day I moved in with him, it has been one problem after another. He constantly complained and beat me,” she said.

She added that relocating from Port Harcourt to Lagos in 2010 did not improve the situation and that in 2018 she was forced to leave the matrimonial home with the children.

Gladys accused her husband of infidelity, alleging that he repeatedly brought other women into their home despite her objections. She also said she had been solely responsible for the children’s education and denied claims that she barred him from seeing them.

In his response, Abayomi, an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), described his wife as troublesome, saying he had made several efforts to manage the marriage without success.

He admitted that there was a physical altercation during a misunderstanding but accused Gladys of violent conduct as well. He also alleged that she kept male friends under questionable circumstances and claimed to have caught her in a compromising situation with one of them.

Abayomi further insisted that he had contributed to the upbringing of the children, including supporting one who travelled abroad, and accused his wife of denying him access to them.

After hearing both sides, the court dissolved the marriage and issued orders aimed at ensuring the welfare of the children and preventing further conflict between the parties.