Court Orders Husband to Pay N3.1 Million for Abandoning Wife and Children

In a landmark ruling, the Upper Customary Court of Kaduna State has awarded N3.1 million in damages to a woman who was abandoned by her husband for 17 years. The court found that despite the non-payment of the bride price, the marriage under Kamantan custom was still valid. The ruling, made by His Worship Emmanuel J. Samaila, also highlighted the importance of a woman’s dignity, irrespective of the customs under which the marriage occurred.

Theresa Yohanna, the Petitioner, had filed a case seeking the dissolution of her marriage and compensation for the years she spent raising their four children alone, after her husband, Yohanna Bako, left her. Despite the husband’s absence and remarriage, the court ruled in favor of the Petitioner, awarding her N3 million in damages and N100,000 for legal costs.