http://youtu.be/vZ-i92ov5O8

Just like Umuofia, in Chinua Achebe’s fictional novel, Things Fall Apart, life for Akinwale Ayinde Sodiq has, indeed, fallen apart. And for him, therefore, the centre can no longer hold.

If the 52-year-old vulcanizer had foreseen the calamity that awaited him, when he was travelling to his hometown, Apomo, in Osun, he wouldn’t have ventured out. He embarked on the trip and is today regretting ever doing so. This is so because he was involved in an auto crash, which rendered part of his body paralysed, including his manhood.

The tragic accident, which occurred on June 2005, has devastated the father of four. His condition caused so much tension in the home that he resorted to divorce. He recently sought relief at Otto-Ijanikin Customary Court, asking for the formal dissolution of their 26-year-old marriage.

In court, the visibly embittered man narrated, amid uncontrollable tears, the rejection, sojourn and anguish he has gone through in the hands of his wife. He accused his wife of infidelity and lack of care.

Recounting how it all began, he said: ‘’I got married to Kashimawo at age of 26, just like every other marriageable man. Although I wouldn’t say our marriage was rosy because there is nothing like a perfect marriage, but we resolved our minor quarrels and fights amicably. I had also noted that my wife was money conscious. She is easily carried away by material things.

“Trouble began in 2005 when we both had a road accident on our way to my home town. After the accident, I lost consciousness but was revived days later. I discover that some parts of my body were seriously affected. I couldn’t move my legs and hands. After my discharge from Lagos State Teaching Hospital (LUTH), I was taken to a local bone healer, who also administered her own healing powers on me.”

After months of intensive care and bones massage, Sodiq was brought back home. He said that on his return, his wife turned against him, revealing that she became a regular guest of Ada-loko Police Station, Badagry, owing to quarrel with people.

Lamenting further, he said: “When I returned from the hospital, my wife worsened my predicament by making life uneasy for me. She picks quarrels and fight over minor issues, and anytime any of the children want to intervene she would beat the hell out of him or her.

The most recent fight she had was with our last-born, a 15-year-old girl. Yemisi confronted her for daring to hit me and a big fight ensued. Not satisfied with the beating she merciless dealt on the little girl, Kashimawo went ahead and set all the poor girl’s cloth ablaze.”

Sodiq told the court that the most painful part of his experience was his initial inability to perform his marital duties due to the damage the accident caused his manhood. He however revealed that he started feeling a bit of life in his below region, as the bone healer kept massaging all his body, which later resulted in him having erection.

He continued: “For the first few months, my wife was responding to my desire for sex. Whenever I feel a little bulge in my manhood, I quickly beckon on my wife for a little intimacy. We manage the weak erection to our best satisfaction. But along the line, she started withdrawing and was no longer giving me the attention I sought. I confronted her.

She bluntly told me that my half dead manhood could no longer satisfy her. She said that it only tickles and leaves her high and dry. Consequently, she would no longer grant me my conjugal rites. All pleas to make her pity my predicament fell on deaf ears, as she callously insisted on sex-starving me. It is over six years now since I had an erection, not to mention sex.

“As if that punishment wasn’t enough, I have been hearing rumors of her illicit romance with other men and how she has been gallivanting with other street boys. Some of them even have the nerves to come looking for her in our shop, even in my presence.

Each time I confront her, she wouldn’t waste much time in tongue lashing me, calling me all sort of names. I am fed up with everything and can no longer cope. I urge this honorable court to grant my prayers for the formal dissolution of this absurd marriage to save me from untimely death and help my kids secure their future.”.

On the other side of the coin, it was a twist of tale as Mrs. Kashimawo Akinwale relayed her own part of the story. She accused her husband of being responsible for their marital crisis owing to his recent predicament.

The middle aged woman, who openly admitted not knowing her age, claimed that her estranged husbands was quick tempered, jealous and suspicious, which she said were eating up the love and peace they once shared as one happy family.

“I own up to my inability to meet up with the demands of my husband in his recent health conditions, but he is not helping matters at all. He gets irritated and angered over flimsy excuses and when he does that whatsoever one says to him would become a very big offence. Based on that problem, his family abandoned him to his fate, but that notwithstanding, I still love my husband and would wish to let him go,” she asserted.

After listening to both parties, the presiding member of the court, Chief S. K Hussein, tried to broker, but all his efforts failed. Therefore, the marriage was formerly dissolved and N28, 000 was awarded the respondent for self-maintenance. Both parties were advised to maintain peace, orderliness and stay out of each other’s ways.