Prophet Theophilus Ayodeji Obayan had dragged his estranged wife Prophetess Chibuzor Lilian Obayan to court for changing his four children’s name to her new lover surname.
Obayan, who is the founder of Divine Prophetic Solutions Prayers Ministry located at off Arowojobe Street, Ladipo, Lagos, dragged Chibuzor to a Customary Court sitting in Akure, Ondo state, to claim the paternity of his four children and the dissolution of their 23-year-old marriage.
The petitioner narrated to the court that
“My lord, my marriage from the onset was characterised by crises, abuse, disobedience, misunderstanding, lies, manipulation, hate and rage.
“I married Lilian in the year 2000 and we have four children. I am a Yoruba, while my wife is of the Igbo tribe. I have suffered a lot in the hands of her family because they don’t love me, but I’ve been enduring.
Lilian packed her belongings out of my house to another man’s house in 2019 and went to change her name, including my children’s surname to the name of the Igbo man she’s engaged to.
The prophet added that his estranged wife did not allow him gain access to his children since she packed out of his house.
The petitioner, therefore, prayed the court to dissolve the marriage and grant him custody of the four children, asking the court to order her to change their names back to his.
However, in her defence, Chibuzor described her husband as an irresponsible man.
She said, “Obayan is not a good husband to me and good father to his children, as he doesn’t pay their school fees nor care about how they are living.
“He didn’t pay my dowry. So, I finally found a man to marry. And my new love wants my children to bear his name instead of that of their irresponsible father.
‘Our children are old enough to choose for themselves as they are no more kids.
My first two girls, Mayomi and Damilola are 22 and 20 years old, while the boys, Ariyo and Aduragbemi are 18 and 16 years old respectively.”
The respondent’s lawyer, T. B. Odudu, while addressing the court submitted that all the six witnesses she called corroborated their testimonies that there was no marriage between the petitioner and the respondent.
Odudu said that the plaintiff lacked the five elements of customary marriage in Ibo land, which include a treaty, concept of parental agreement, handing over of bride and payment of bride price.
In his judgement, Magistrate Segun Stephen Rotiba, said: “This is a complete affront to the Court. I say no more. In conclusion, the Court hereby dissolves the union between the parties, having broken down irretrievably.
“The court, hereby, declares personal non grata, the custom of the respondent awarding paternal personality to a man who is not the children’s biological father.
“The court hereby invalidates and renders null and void the publication changing the surname of the 1st and 2nd children from Obayan to Abua Obi.”
Magistrate Rotiba added that, “the court also invalidates any other publication or whatsoever changing the surname of the children from Obayan to Abua Obi during the pendency of this case.”
