The confession of “Even God told me to divorce my wife or else she will destroy my ministry,” as claimed by a pastor Friday brought a 21-year-old marriage to an end.
A 53-year-old Joshua Ibeneme had approached an Igando Customary Court in Lagos to end his marriage on the grounds of adultery.
Ibeneme said his wife, Uzoamaka was messing around with his church members.
“My wife had s3xual affair with two of my church members, a deacon and a bishop. Both of them were telling my other members that they slept with my wife because she enticed them.
“Whenever I return from a trip, my last born always tells me that men came to pick and drop my wife,” he claimed.
The petitioner said that his wife denied him s3x for five years.
According to him, “My wife starved me of s3x for more than five years; whenever I want to sleep with her, she would give one excuse or the other and in fact, she has moved out of my room to a separate room.
“But she gives it to my members freely.”
The pastor said that his wife was always mocking and embarrassing him in public places, telling people about his s3xual performance.
He said that Uzoamaka always accused him of having affairs with any female member, who came to the house for counselling.
“She accused them of dating me and also went to their houses to fight them. Her behaviour has chased many members away from my church,” he said.
The pastor begged the court to divorce the loveless union, claiming he was no longer in love with his wife.
Mr Akin Akinniyi, the court president, who delivered the judgment, said the petitioner, Pastor Ibeneme was adamant in spite of the mediation by the court and family intervention.
“Since the petitioner insisted on divorce after several interventions, the court is, therefore, left with no option but to grant him his wish and pronounce the union dissolved.
“The court hereby pronounces the marriage between Pastor Joshua Ibeneme and Mrs Uzoamaka Ibeneme dissolved today.
“Both of you will henceforth cease to be husband and wife, each of you should go on his or her separate ways unmolested.
“The court wishes both of you well in your future endeavour.
“Any squabble between both of you from now on shall be treated as criminal and any violation of this judgment will be regarded as contempt of court and will attract imprisonment without option of fine,” Akinniyi ruled.
Later, the respondent, Uzoamaka, denied having s3x with their church members but accused her husband of infidelity.
“It is women that cause our frequent fighting, they are the problem in our home and my husband’s lust for them is very high.
“I never slept with the two men, who claimed that they slept with me, they just wanted to tarnish my image, my husband is dating the wife of the deacon”.
According to her, the pastor calls her derogatory names in the public such as “prostitute”.
The 45-year-old teacher said that she starved her husband of s3x because she hated sex, adding that she married him because she wanted children.
The mother of three, however, begged the court not to grant her husband’s wish for dissolution of the marriage as she was still in love with him.
Source : NAN
