Court dissolves marriage over incompatibility

A Jos High Court on Tuesday dissolved a four-year-old marriage over what the couple described as their “incompatibility”.

The couple, Dorcas Alimi and Akeem Alimi, residents of Jos, whose marriage on Sept. 7, 2013, told the court, via a document containing terms of out-of-court settlement, that their union had collapsed beyond redemption.

“We can no more accommodate each other; we want this marriage dissolved,” the couple told the court.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the wife, Dorcas, had dragged her husband before Justice Christine Dabup, of High Court 8, on Oct. 7, 2016, seeking a dissolution of the marriage.

She prayed the court to dissolve the marriage on the ground that the marriage had broken down irretrievably.

When the case came up for hearing on Dec. 13, 2016 the counsel to the wife, Mr Sunday Lekshak, and that of the husband, Fwangshak Pwul, asked for time to explore the possibility of out-of-court settlement, which was granted.

On their return on Tuesday, the respondent’s counsel, Pwul, told the court that they were able to settle the matter out-of-court, via terms that both parties had consented to.

“My Lord, we have been able to settle the couple out-of-court; we have with us the terms of the settlement, which we wish to present to the court for consideration.

“The terms of settlement, dated March 13, 2017 were filed before this court on March 14, 2017 and I hereby call the attention of your Lordship to it.

“The parties have amicably agreed to part because they have both agreed that that they cannot stay together any longer.

“The two of them have also agreed that the marriage is beyond redemption,” he said.

Lekshak, in response, consented to Pwul’s statement and also asked the court to look at the terms of settlement and give its judgement.

Justice Dabup, in her judgement, declared the marriage dissolved based on the terms of agreement reached by the couple.

“According to the terms of settlement before this court, it is clear that the marriage is broken as posited by the couple.

“I hereby declare the marriage dissolved, ’’ the judge ruled.

Dabup, however, commended the two lawyers for settling the couple in the presence of their witnesses.