’My husband rapes me in the presence of our children’’, a 40-year-old trader, Bolanle AbdulKareem told a  Customary Court in Nigeria on Wednesday.

Bolanle said her husband, Olasunkanmi, with whom she had three children in their 17-year-old marriage; always molest her whenever he got drunk.

“Whenever my husband comes home drunk, he will want to make love to me by fire by force and I will caution him not to do it in the presence of our children.

“He will beat me and make love to me by force while the children watch us.

“There was a day I came back from work and I met my children, one on top of another doing what they always see their father do to me,’’ she further told the court.

The petitioner also said her husband always threaten to kill her.

“My husband derives pleasure in beating me. There was a day he beat me and broke my leg.

“One day, he threatened to kill me, so I ran to one of my relative’s house.

“My husband came there, he met my sister’s husband ironing his clothes; he snatched the iron from him and started chasing me with it.

“Seeing his desperation, I ran into the street and my husband still chased me with the pressing iron.

“Anytime, I reported him at the Police station the Police always tell me that it is a family matter and refused to caution him’’.

She described her husband as an irresponsible husband and father, who did not care about the welfare and education of the children.

According to her, Olasunkanmi neither cares for her nor the children, adding that that she is the one paying the school fees of the children.

“He has a tricycle that he is using for business but he always use the proceeds to drink to stupor and usually loses self control’’.

She begged the court to dissolve their marriage, adding that she was no longer in love with the husband.

However, Olasunkanmi, who did not deny the allegation of raping his wife, however, begged the court not to dissolve the union.

“Please, do not dissolve our marriage, I still love my wife, I know I have made a mistake; I will make amend,’’ he said.

The 42-year-old commercial tricycle operator admitted that he used to beat his wife, whenever she flouted his orders.

“I don’t derive pleasure in beating her but I only beat her whenever she disobeys my instruction.

“The day I snatched the pressing iron from my in-law, I only wanted to use the iron wire to beat her and not to burn her’’.

He said that he was not a drunk but that he drank moderately.

However, the court has ordered the couple to come along with three members of their families for Alternative Dispute Resolution.