An Area Court sitting in Centre-Igboro, Ilorin, on Wednesday formally dissolved the Islamic marriage between Fatimah Salihu and her estranged husband, Suleiman Olarongbe, after a decade-long separation.
Presiding Judge, Mr. Toyin Aluko, granted the dissolution following a petition filed by Salihu and the failure of the respondent to appear in court despite being duly served.
“On May 6, an affidavit of service of summons was issued and delivered to the defendant. However, he failed to appear in court and provided no representation or explanation for his absence,” the judge stated.
Aluko added that the court, in line with legal provisions, was empowered to proceed with the matter under such circumstances.
Consequently, the court dissolved the Islamic union and directed the petitioner to observe a mandatory three-month iddah (waiting period) before contracting a new marriage. A copy of the ruling is to be delivered to the absent respondent.
Earlier during proceedings, Salihu told the court that she and her husband had been separated for the past ten years due to “lack of love and care.”
She pleaded with the court to grant her a divorce, saying, “I just want to move on with my life.”
