AISHA ABUBAKAR
A businessman, Musa Usman, has prayed the Sharia Court in Kaduna to order his divorce-seeking wife, Aisha Umar, to pay him N320,000 in exchange for her freedom as the only condition to grant her request for divorce.
P.M.EXPRESS reports that the embattled Usman, through his counsel, Safiyanu Saleh, said though he still loves his wife, he would not stop her from exercising her rights for divorce through Khul’u (redemption) but she has to pay him the money to enable him to get married to another woman.
“I paid N70,000 dowry but I want her to add N250,000 so that I will be able to marry another wife”, he said.
Earlier, the wife, who is the complainant, through her counsel, Abubakar Sulaiman, prayed the Court to dissolve her union with Usman through Khul’u because the wife was no longer interested in the marriage and was ready to return the N70,000 dowry she received from him or less.
“According to Islamic law, a woman can redeem herself from marriage by paying back the dowry she received, less or more; therefore, we are praying to pay less due to the harsh economic situation.”
“Alternatively, we pray she spends her waiting period, which is three month-cycle, in replacement of the N70,000”, he said.
However, the embittered husband refused and demanded that she should pay her the money he had requested since she insisted that she wanted to quit the marriage.
The Judge, Malam Rilwanu Kyaudai, adjourned the matter till 24th January, 2023, for the final address of the two parties as well as judgment on the matter.
The waiting period, known as Iddah, is a period a woman must observe after the death of her husband or after a divorce, during which she may not get married to another man.