A Sharia Court sitting in Magajin Gari, Kaduna, is adjudicating a paternity dispute after a 38-year-old man, Samaila Salisu, denied responsibility for his estranged wife’s three-month-old pregnancy.
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Salisu told the court he had s3xual intercourse with his wife, Maryam Ibrahim, only six times throughout their marriage, and was completely unaware of any pregnancy until the matter came before the judge.
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“I am not aware of any pregnancy. I am just hearing the news today. I am sure the pregnancy does not belong to me,” he told the court, adding that he had witnesses prepared to testify that Maryam had left their matrimonial home before she conceived.
Maryam, however, countered her husband’s claims, insisting the pregnancy was his. She told the court the couple continued to see each other even after she moved out, but explained that deteriorating living conditions in their marital home had made it impossible for her to stay.
“My husband failed to keep his promise to take care of me. I wasn’t comfortable in the village where he kept me,” she said, describing a life of inadequate meals — pap without sugar and leftovers — in stark contrast to the city life she returned to.
Salisu had earlier called on the court to clarify the status of his marriage, noting that all attempts to persuade Maryam to return home had proved futile.
Presiding judge Malam Isiyaku Abdulrahman adjourned proceedings to allow Salisu an opportunity to produce witnesses to back his allegations. The judge, however, issued a stern warning: should the witnesses fail to convince the court, Salisu would face punishment for lying and defaming his wife’s character.
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