A Mapo Grade A Customary Court in Ibadan, on Friday, dissolved a 21-year-old marriage at the instance of a caterer, Omotayo Kumunyi, on grounds of wickedness and domestic violence.

Kumunyi, a resident of the Osungbade area of Ibadan, lamented that her husband, Olatunde, does not cater for her and their four children.

She added that when the problem became too much for her to bear, she moved away with three of her children, while the second child remained behind.

“My lord, about five years ago, our third child confided in me that she usually saw her father pouring some black substance into my own food whenever I was not there.

“I was shocked by this piece of information and confronted him with the revelation.

“Subsequently, I invited him to eat part of the food, and he declined to taste it.

”As if that was not enough, Olatunde regularly turned our first child and me into a punching bag anywhere he came across us.

“I also beg the court to grant me custody of the children because Olatunde will not adequately take care of them,” Kumunyi said.

However, Olatunde did not react to most of the allegations leveled against him, though he acknowledged payment of dowry to his wife’s parents.

Olatunde, a resident of Number 2 Olatunde Street, Police Post at Challenge in Ibadan, who earned his living as a carpenter, gave a condition on the children’s upkeep.

He told the court that he would only be willing to pay N5,000 as the children’s monthly upkeep if the court refused to award him custody of the children.

“I want to take custody of the children because Kumunyi has the habit of maltreating the last two children.

“The second child with me had been going to school regularly,” Olatunde argued.

Delivering judgment, the court’s president, Mrs S.M. Akintayo, pronounced the marriage dissolved, stating that it was duly contracted judging from the evidence adduced by the duo.

Akintayo granted custody of the last three children to Kumunyi and directed Olatunde to pay a monthly feeding allowance of N20,000 for their monthly upkeep.

This was in addition to being responsible for their education and other welfare.

“The first child is 18 years of age, and because he is an adult by law, he has the right to choose whoever to live with between his two parents.

“However, the petitioner must allow the respondent reasonable access to the children,” she said.

The president of the court also granted an order restraining Olatunde from harassing, threatening, disturbing, and interfering with the private life of Kumunyi henceforth.

NAN

The Minister of Police Affairs, Senator Ibrahim Gaidam has reiterated the commitment of the Ministry to establish mechanisms to monitor and evaluate the implementation of the Police reform roadmap.

He made this known according to a statement signed by the Deputy Director, Information & Public Relations, Mr. Bolaji Kazeem, and made available to the National Association of Online Security News Publishers (NAOSNP), during the stakeholder’s engagement on police reforms comprising the Chairman Police Service Commission; the German Ambassador to Nigeria; the Director-General of the Institute of Police Studies; and representatives of the National Security Adviser; Nigeria Police Force (NPF); Nigeria Correctional Service; Nigeria Police Trust Fund; CLEEN Foundation; United Nations Development Partners (UNDP) held at the Headquarters of the Ministry in Abuja.

The Minister said the Ministry will coordinate donor support strategically in order to prevent duplication of efforts, optimize the convergence of assistance, and ensure judicious allocation of resources to identified priorities in our police development plan.

“This event aligns with our unwavering commitment to fulfilling the mandate set forth by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR to reform the Nigeria Police in accordance with global best practices. Furthermore, we will actively promote adherence to the principles of trust and confidence, which are indispensable to successful policing,” he said.

Gaidam expressed that the reform of our police force is not just a task but a crucial priority for the current administration. As the primary responsibility assigned to the Ministry of Police Affairs by President Tinubu’s administration in October 2023, and directed the National Security Adviser, the Minister of Police Affairs, and the Chairman of the Police Service Commission to develop a comprehensive blueprint for the sustainable reform of the Nigeria Police Force.

According to him, “This mandate reflects the administration’s recognition of the urgent need for transformation within our policing system. This initiative is designed to reshape the narrative surrounding police reforms in Nigeria, aiming to move beyond the rhetoric that has characterized past efforts.”

He posited that the core objective of the stakeholders’ engagement is to initiate a series of meaningful conversations aimed at building a multi-party, cross-societal consensus on police reforms.

He added, “We recognize that true change cannot occur in isolation; it requires the involvement of various segments of the society. By engaging different stakeholders, we aim to educate the general public about the intricacies of policing. This education is essential for fostering the consensus needed to create a nationally-owned reform blueprint that will create a clear and actionable path forward that resonates with the realities of our society.”

The Minister reaffirmed that the engagement with stakeholders is not a one-time event; it is essential throughout the entire reform process noting that public opinion must be sought and valued at every stage of the initiative and to ensure that the reforms are reflective of the needs and aspirations of the communities they serve.

In his remarks, rhe German Ambassador to Nigeria, Annet Gunther, stated that the German government has significantly invested in strengthening police training by refurbishing and equipping training facilities in Lagos, Enugu, Abuja, and Kaduna, and over 1000 police trainers have been trained in modern, adult-oriented learning technique, specialized training in leadership, human rights; crisis communication and gender-sensitive policing.

“Through our work with civil society organizations and national institutions, we have promoted key governance reforms, such as the establishment of the Police Transformation and Reform Office (PORTO) now succeeded by the Police Reform Secretariat which drives the reform agenda forward,” she said.

In continuation of its programme to spread joy to Nigerians in the New Year, Globacom, on Thursday held a draw in Ibadan, Oyo State, to select a new set of winners in its Festival of Joy promo.

The draw, held at the company’s Challenge Office, was witnessed by the media and Glo customers, some of who excitedly assisted in drawing the winning numbers.

The winners who emerged from the draw will receive their prizes at a presentation ceremony to be held at the Ring Road, Ibadan Gloworld shop of the company, on Monday, February 3. They include two winners of brand-new Kia Picanto cars and several winners of sewing machines, generators and grinding machines.

Globacom encouraged customers who desire to participate in the promo to dial *611# and keep recharging (voice and data during the promo period) in order to be eligible to win the prizes on offer, while new subscribers can participate immediately by purchasing a new SIM, registering it and dialing *611#.

“Customers are required to recharge up to N100,000 cumulatively during the promo period to qualify for the draw for the Prado Jeep, N50,000 cumulative recharge for Kia Picanto, N10,000 in a month for tricycle and N5,000 total recharge in a month to win a generator. For the sewing machine, a total recharge of N2,500 in a month is required, while for the grinding machine, a recharge of N1000 in a week will be eligible for the draw”, the company explained.