A businesswoman, Woye Ella, on Tuesday prayed an FCT Customary Court in Garki, Abuja, to dissolve her marriage over her husband’s alleged attempt to set her on fire.
Ella’s prayer is contained in a divorce petition she filed against her husband in the court.
According to the petitioner, her husband usually overreacts over little provocation.
She submitted that sometimes her husband would become very hostile and chase her with a dangerous object like a screwdriver and knife.
“It got to a point that he poured petrol on me to set me on fire, it was my neighbours who saved my life that day,” she said.
“He was overwhelmed by our neighbours and was taken to a nearby police station where he was detained for four days, till his father came from the village to intervene.
“When he was asked the reason for his actions, he couldn’t mention anything tangible.”
Ella also told the court that she eventually moved out of the house for fear of being killed by her estranged spouse.
She prayed the court to order her husband to vacate the apartment in which they were living, prior to her exit.
The petitioner also claimed that she is the owner of the property.
“I bought the land and built the house myself,” she said.
The respondent, who is a tiler, and simply identified by his first name, Joseph, however denied all his wife’s allegations.
The presiding judge, Festus Enomhonse, adjourned the matter until February 24, for hearing.