How witchcraft killed 7-yr-old daughter – Man, 60

By Adeola Adenuga

A 60-year-old man urged Orile-Agege Grade ‘B’ Customary Court to dissolve his 32-year-old marriage over childlessness, witchcraft and abandonment. Joshua Ajala, a building contractor, who lives at 18 Fashola St., Orile- Agege, told the court that his wife used witchcraft to kill a girl another woman had for him after failing to give him children.

Ajala, who burst into tears as he narrated what he claimed to have suffered in the hands of his wife, Dorcas, alleged that three years after their marriage, his wife was not concerned  about getting pregnant,  as all the efforts  by his late mother to get her to
take local medication to aid pregnancy proved abortive.

”She eventually got pregnant in 1993.  I told her to register in  hospital but she said preferred “Ile Alagbo” (traditionalists). The child was dead in her womb before she delivered”.
He informed the court that his wife brought two kegs of  local medication  from her father, gave him one to take and kept the other one for herself, adding that  he took the medication because he desired  a child.

”After  taking the medication, dach time I wanted to make love to my wife,  my manhood will become soft; it  won’t be able to penetrate,” he said.
He claimed that his wife then started telling people that he was impotent, saying  this was what prompted him to have an extra-marital affair. But, according to him, the problem persisted. ”I went to the mountain to pray. Thereafter, I went to the  woman I was dating, made love to her and she became pregnant”.

He said that when his wife got to know about  the extra-marital affair after the woman had  been delivered of a girl,  she told him she would have killed the baby while still in  the mother’s womb if she had known.  Joshua told the court that he lost the child  when she  was seven years old.
”My wife was happy about the death of this child; she dressed gorgeously when she went to pay  condolence visit to the woman”, the plaintiff stated. “I had  hypertension that wanted to lead to stroke as a result of the child’s death.”This woman is out to ruin me.

I want the court to dissolve this marriage so that I can be free from her.”In her defence, Dorcas , a resident of  4, Ajibode Street, Ajuwon, told the court that she lived with her husband with  truthful heart but he paid her with evil.
She also   denied being  a witch. The respondent said she was not responsible for the death  of her step daughter.

The 53-year-old trader said  she tried all she could do to get pregnant  and actually got pregnant but lost it.
She agreed to the dissolution of the marriage because of their irreconciliable differences.  The court  told the couple to maintain the peace and adjourned the case to  Dec. 13 for further hearing.