A housewife, Suwaiba Madauci, has approached a Grade I Area Court in Kubwa, seeking the dissolution of her four-year-old marriage to her estranged husband, Abdullahi Makarfi, on grounds of “lack of love and care.”
Madauci revealed that she married Makarfi in 2020 in accordance with the Islamic Personal Law. However, she accused Makarfi of failing to provide for her and expressing constant dissatisfaction (nagging).
“I started having issues with my husband shortly after we got married due to our incompatibility. We have been living apart since September 2022,” Madauci said.
She urged the court to dissolve the marriage based on these grounds and through the “Khuli” procedure.
Khuli is a process in Islam through which a woman can seek a divorce from her husband by returning the dowry and everything she received from him during their life together, or without returning anything, as mutually agreed upon by the spouses or determined by a judge.
The petitioner’s lawyer, Abu Suphian, informed the court that the respondent had been served with the court’s summons and was aware of the hearing date.
“The respondent said that he cannot force him to court,” Suphian told the court.
However, Suphian cited Order 9, Rule 1 of the Area Court Civil Procedure Rules, which states that the court can proceed with a matter in the respondent’s absence.
“The plaintiff is ready to pay back the dowry of N100,000 paid when the marriage was contracted,” Suphian said.
He further explained that the concept of Khuli was derived from verse 229 of the Quran, which states, “If you fear that you cannot observe the limits prescribed by Allah, then it shall not be a sin for any of them in what she offers to get freedom.”
The judge, Ibrahim Rufai, adjourned the matter until August 21 for final address.
NAN
