Battering, Major Reason For Divorce Suits – Court President

The President of Mushin Customary Court in Lagos, Dr Abayomi Ipaye, last Saturday said that battering was one of the major reasons why people file for divorce in Nigeria.

Ipaye told the newsmen in Lagos that eight out of every 10 wives who sought for divorce had been battered by their husbands at one time or the other.

“A lot of women in Nigeria are suffering domestic violence. Many men beat their wives for frivolous reasons.

“The court does not take allegations of battering with levity. We are allowed to dissolve marriages where battering takes place because it could eventually lead to loss of life,’’ Ipaye said.

According to him, some victims of battering are usually afraid to speak out because of the shame of being mocked.

He appealed to parents not to encourage their female children to keep enduring abusive husbands because they did not like divorce.

A human rights activist and lawyer, Mrs Kemi Adu, told reporters that victims of battering should not shy away from seeking legal redress.

“Battering is assault. It does not matter if it occurs in marriage. A man has no right under the law to beat up his wife.

“Victims of battering should seek redress in a court of law. They should not keep silent,’’ she said.

Another lawyer, Mr Bode Salami of the Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP), Lagos, told said that under Sections 171 and 243 of the Lagos State Criminal Code, perpetrators of assault and felony risked seven years’ imprisonment.