Divorce Your Wife , Lose Your House To Her , Oyo Court Rules | Nairalaw

By Yejide Gbenga-Ogundare

A woman that has children for her husband and had married him
before a house is built has the right to live in the house with her
children even after divorce under the provisions of the Married
Woman Property Act 1882, a court held on Friday in Ibadan, Oyo
State.

The belief that patriarchy is so entrenched in the Nigerian
system and women have no rights even under the law has been proved
to be an erroneous one, majorly propounded by those ignorant of the
rights provided under the law, the court said in a landmark
judgement.

The provisions of the Married Woman Property Act 1882 formed the
basis of the pronouncement of the Chief Judge of Oyo State, Justice
Munta Abimbola, on Friday in a property suit between a divorced
couple, Toyin Arajulu, formerly known as Mrs Toyin James and her
former husband, Mr James Monday.

The court held that “a husband who marries a wife and builds a
house during the pendency of the marriage stands the risk of losing
that house if he later divorces the woman who had children for him
unless such woman, of her own volition, leaves the matrimonial
home.”

Justice Abimbola, while ruling on the matter, emphasised what is
known in law as the “palm tree justice,” which indicates that it
does not matter in whose name the property stands or who pays what
(on the property) and in what proportion as determination of such
matters transcends all rights, legal or even equitable, but simply
what order is fair and just in the circumstances of the case,
citing the case of Home Vs Home (1962) 1 WLR 1124 at 1128.S 17
Married Woman Property Act 1882, which is a statute of general
application.

Toyin Arajulu had filed the suit against her ex-husband, Monday
James, who she married under Native Law and Customs in 1997 and for
whom she had four children.

She claimed that while she was married to him, they had put
resources together and built two flats of three bedrooms at Ayedun
in Akure, Ondo State and procured a plot of land at No 7, Fadana
Biala Estate, Olodo, Ibadan, where they built a three-bedroom flat
and a storey building which is still under construction before
their divorce in July 2014.

She averred that before the divorce, her husband had moved out
of their matrimonial home in Olodo but only came constantly to try
to forcibly eject her and the children, usually accompanied by
thugs who attacked her and her children.

She added that on August 15, 2014, one of her children, Bidemi
James, was wounded in one of the episodes of attempted violent
eviction and the sum of N530,000 from her business taken by her
ex-husband and his accomplices.

She claimed that he had concluded plans to sell off the joint
property without her consent and had continued to victimise her and
the children, asking the court for a declaration that the property
is jointly owned by the two of them and an order that the landed
property with the three-bedroom flat and uncompleted storey
building be sold and proceeds divided equally between them and an
order of perpetual injunction restraining James from harassing her
and the children.

In his counter claim and defence, the ex-husband stated that
when he bought and constructed the Akure property, his wife was a
full housewife and had no contribution to the project, adding that
the situation was the same for the Ibadan property as his wife only
signed as a witness as she had no job and only depended on what he
gave her to take care of the children when he travelled out of the
country.

According to him, she was only trying to fraudulently take over
his property, adding that her claims were vexatious, gold digging
and an abuse of court process.

He also asked the court to declare that the receipts of purchase
his ex-wife presented were forged and that she should vacate
possession of the property which she had refused to give up despite
service of statutory seven days owner’s intention to recover
possession and perpetual injunction restraining her from occupying
the building.

Justice Abimbola, while ruling on the case, held that the landed
property at No 7, Fadana Biala Estate, Olodo, Ibadan, together with
the three-bedroom flat and uncompleted storey building is jointly
owned by the two.

On the second relief that both buildings be sold as requested by
Toyin, Justice Abimbola held that, “I will not give such orders in
respect of the two buildings. Particularly, Section 17 Married
Women Law of Oyo state Cap 83, Laws of Oyo state 2000 gives a court
the discretion as it thinks fit on the issues of title of
possession to property.

“Section 18 also enjoins the court to treat such property as a
joint property if the issue has to do with the maintenance of a
matrimonial home. My order to this effect is that the completed
three-bedroom flat on the land be retained as the matrimonial
property and the four children are entitled as beneficial owners by
way of a resulting trust created for them by their parents. The
mother, as long as she remains unmarried, is directed to be in
possession undisturbed in order to take care of her children.

“The uncompleted storey building is ordered to be sold by both
parties and the proceeds divided in equal share. The half share
shall go to the wife for the maintenance of the children. A
divorced wife has no business being maintained,” Justice Abimbola
held.

The court also restrained James from harassing Toyin any further
or disturbing the quiet possession of the property by her and the
children, holding that, “the rationale is that a husband who
marries a wife and builds a house during the pendency of the
marriage stands the risk of losing that house if he later divorces
the woman who had children for him unless such woman, of her own
volition, leaves the matrimonial home. Also, a divorced woman is
not entitled to any maintenance allowance but maintenance of the
children by way of settlement.”