Wife faults demand for DNA test on children, accusation of infidelity

A housewife, Suliyat Sanyaolu, told the Customary Court sitting in Ake, Abeokuta, Ogun State, yesterday that her husband supported his first wife’s actions by allowing her to come to her residence at Camp, Abeokuta, to beat her up.

She said the first wife was able to do so with the help of his best friend, and that her husband did nothing about it. Suliyat also narrated how her husband, Kabiru Sanyaolu, and his elder sister beat her up during the last Sallah celebration for refusing to wash a cooking pot.

The mother of twins, who was brought to court by her husband in suit number CA/643/2025 seeking the dissolution of their six-year marriage, accused Kabiru of calling her a prostitute and demanding a DNA test on their twins despite never seeing her with another man.

The food vendor prayed the court not to grant her husband’s wish to divorce her, saying she still loves him despite their constant fights and disagreements, and that she is not ready to leave her marriage.

She said: “I am not leaving my husband, and I am not happy that he did nothing when his best friend brought his first wife to my house to beat me mercilessly and tear my clothes. My husband and his elder sister are always supporting his first wife, and he beat me at the last Sallah celebration because of a matter that involved her and his elder sister.

“He sometimes calls me a prostitute and says he will conduct a DNA test on my twins. It is true that he set me up with food and beer businesses, but he stopped because those businesses were not as profitable as expected. I am not as lazy as he claims.”

The petitioner, Kabiru, told the court that he was seeking a divorce because their marriage lacked love due to frequent fighting, stubbornness, his wife’s inability to stick to one business, and her debt habits.

The father of six, who insisted on divorcing his wife, said he had set up a food business for Suliyat, but it collapsed due to what he described as her laziness and excuses about the stress of caring for twins.

Kabiru explained that his wife later started a beer parlour business, which he opposed but eventually supported, only for it to fail before she returned to the food business, which she later abandoned.

He said he was shocked to find his wife quarrelling with his elder sister during the Sallah celebration, adding that he became furious, picked up a spoon from the cooking pot, and chased her away.

The husband said: “I just want the court to dissolve this marriage. My wife is too stubborn and fond of fighting. I don’t know why she always likes to quarrel with my elder sister. I gave her money to set up a food business, and she killed the business. I also gave her money to set up a beer business, but she also failed at that business.

“We are always quarrelling and fighting, and I never have peace of mind with her. That is why I said the court should dissolve this marriage and each of us should go our separate ways.”

In her ruling, the president of the court, O.J. Ogunsanya, urged both husband and wife to exercise patience and work on their differences to establish a solid union for the sake of their children’s future.

She advised the husband that although he had the right to carry out a DNA test on the twins, he should dismiss the suspicion that his wife was promiscuous in order to salvage the marriage.

Ogunsanya urged both parties to go home and settle the matter amicably by inviting each other’s family members to a meeting, while cautioning the wife to exercise more patience to keep her home quarrel-free and save the marriage. Further hearing on the case was adjourned to November 12.