The Chief Medical Director (CMD) of American oil-producing firm, Chevron Nigeria Limited, Dr Rotimi Olalekan Babalola is embroiled in a messy divorce suit with his wife, Mrs Adediwura Adebukola Babalola.
Adediwura has approached a Lagos High Court for divorce, praying the court for immediate termination of the holy matrimony between the duo.
In the court processes denominated as Suit No: LD/9231WD/2021 obtained by Rulers’ World, Mrs Babalola instituted the action against her husband on the ground that he has been displaying acts of intolerable cruelty and inhuman conduct towards her and the only child of the marriage.
According to the facts in support of the divorce petition, which constitute the grounds upon which the petition was anchored, the respondent (Mr Babalola) is accused of abandoning the matrimonial home since 1st January 2021, leaving the petitioner and the only child in the matrimonial home.
“The respondent has been adamant in his resistance to efforts to reconcile the two parties by their counsel, A.O Agbola, Esq of Checkley Chambers and Olusola Idowu (SAN) of Olusola Idowu & Co. for petitioner and respondent respectively.
“The petitioner contended that the divorce petition became the last option for her when it was apparent that the respondent was not ready for any peaceful reconciliation coupled with his alleged constant harassment, intimidation, and threat of unlawful forceful eviction from her matrimonial home.
“Following the alleged constant harassment and physical assault on the petitioner by her medical doctor husband, which often left her with bruises, the petitioner has been traumatized and had in the past sought treatment at Chevron Clinic and has also been attended to by a psychologist at Chevron,” the petition reads in part.
Consequently, the petitioner contends that the respondent has abandoned the matrimonial home since January 2021; the respondent, between April and July 2021, has been coming to the matrimonial home at No 8, Service Crescent Cooperative Villa, Badore Ajah, Lagos and carting away household utensils including refrigerators, deep freezers, gas cookers, power generating set and solar panels supplying electricity to the house.
The petitioner further described the conduct of the respondent towards her and the child of the marriage as wicked, callous, irritational and physically abusive.
Besides seeking the dissolution of the marriage consummated at the Kosofe Local Government Marriage Registry on 9th February 2012, the petitioner is also praying the court for custody of the child of the marriage; an order compelling the respondent to return all the items carted away from the matrimonial home.
In addition, the petitioner is also praying the court for an order of perpetual injunction restraining the respondent from interfering with the petitioner’s possession of the matrimonial home at No 8, Service Crescent Cooperative Village, Badore Ajah, Lagos State and an order of perpetual injunction restraining the respondent from coming within a one-kilometre radius of any house or office premises that may be occupied by the petitioner and One Million naira (N1,000,000) only being monthly maintenance, among other reliefs.
The respondent was yet to file his response to the petition as at the time of going to press.
However, in furtherance of Babalola attack on the petitioner, on Saturday, he was alleged to have sent suspected soldiers to retrieve a car from Mrs Babalola, who had earlier reported her husband to the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team got more than she bargained for when fully armed soldiers reportedly invaded her matrimonial home around 2.30 pm, putting her and her daughter under severe apprehension as they attempted to forcefully retrieve a car on the alleged order of her husband.
The soldiers who did not mince words on their mission reportedly told the embattled wife that they were acting on the instructions of her husband. However, a reprieve came for Mrs Babalola and her daughter when a good Samaritan, a senior military officer got wind of the invasion of her matrimonial home and challenge the soldiers on their unlawful mission.
According to an eyewitness, the senior officer was said to have asked the soldiers, “who authorized you to be meddling in a civilian’s domestic affairs?”
Following the intervention by the senior military officer, the soldiers were said to have regretted their action and immediately vacated the scene at No 8, Service Crescent Cooperative Villa, Badore, Ajah, Lagos.
It would be recalled that Mrs Babalola had earlier reported her husband’s alleged constant harassment, intimidation, assault and threat to the Lagos State Domestic and Violence Response Team which referred the matter to the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Ajah via a letter dated 17th July 2021.
On account of the alleged threat to her life, checks at the Ajah Divisional Police Headquarters confirmed that the DPO has already invited both Dr and Mrs Babalola on the matter, even as it was gathered that the DPO reportedly advised the husband to stop going to the house and allow peace to reign. As of press time, the matter is still pending at the police station.
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