I Cannot Convert to Islam: Muslim Husband Drags Christian Wife to Court Over Religious Differences

Photo for illustrative purpose

A 62-year-old man, Adesanya Akanni, is seeking the
dissolution of his 32-year-old marriage to Florence
Akani, over religious differences.
Adesanya Akanni approached a Lagos Island Customary
Court, Lagos on Thursday complaining that wife’s
continued practice of her Christian faith was adversely
affecting the family.
The petitioner claimed that his marital problems started
about 26-years ago, when his wife, Florence resumed
the practice of her Christian faith.
He also alleged that she changed the names of their five
children to Christian names without his consent.
Akanni said, “Our five children were given Muslim
names at birth, Kaosara, 32, Kudirat, 25, Mubarak, 22,
Azeez, 19 and Musa, 17.
“Their mother and the Church she attends, have now
changed their names to Oluwatomi, Victoria,
Oluwasegun, Oluwarotimi and Peter respectively.
“I did not know until I went to the school of my last two
boys to ask for Azeez and Musa but officials of the
school claimed they did not have students bearing
those names.
“It was when I mentioned their surname that I was told
that they now bear Oluwarotimi and Peter.”
The petitioner also said he was not informed when his
first daughter got married and gave birth to her two
children.
“The Church and my wife gave out my daughter, without
informing me; she gave birth to her two children. My
wife and daughter did not tell me anything.
“We live under the same roof and over the past two
years, my wife has stopped cooking my meals. She does
not allow me to make love to her,’’ Akanni said.
Akanni, however, prayed the court to dissolve their
marriage and award custody of the last two children to
his wife, Florence, 61, who denied all the allegations.
She explained that Akanni did not insist that she should
convert to Islam after their marriage, stressing that at
the time of their marriage, “my husband was not a
practising Muslim.
“I started attending Church when I had an 8-year delay
after our first child; he used to accompany me to Church
but later stopped and then prevailed on me to
discontinue attending Church.
“This our fight over religion has been ongoing for years,
but I have refused to stop going to church because God
has been answering my prayers.
“After eight years of believing God for the fruit of the
womb, God gave me, not just one but three other
children. I have been taking them to Church ever since.
“When our first daughter wanted to get married, I
informed my husband but he said our daughter should
go and `meet her father in the church’.
“He had vowed he would not be part of the wedlock,
unless our daughter re-converted to Islam,”
The mother of five, told the court that she still loved her
husband but, ‘I cannot convert to Islam’.
The president of the court, Mr Awos Awosola, adjourned
the case to Nov. 30 to enable other members from both
families to mediate on the matter.

NAN