Magistrate Condemns Igbo Custom Denying Father Access to Children Over Bride Price Dispute …says custom wicked, evil, ungodly

By Our Correspondent

A Magistrate Court in Akure has vehemently criticized an Igbo custom that prevents a father from having access to his children if he has not paid the bride price to his wife’s family.

Magistrate Segun Stephen Rotiba denounced the practice as barbaric, evil, and ungodly, emphasizing that it punishes one party in a situation involving two consenting adults.

The ruling transpired within the context of a legal dispute between Prophet Theophilus Obayan and his estranged wife, Prophetess Chibuzor Lilian.

Prophet Obayan is of Yoruba descent, while his estranged wife hails from Abia State.

Prophetess Chibuzor decided to marry one of Prophet Obayan’s spiritual sons, Abua Obi, and subsequently altered her children’s surname to Obi.

In response, Obayan filed for divorce, citing grounds such as disobedience, misunderstandings, lies, manipulation, abuse, hate, and rage, especially the alteration of his children’s surname.

In his decision, the Magistrate dissolved the marriage, citing a loss of interest by both parties in continuing the union.

He granted Obayan’s request to regain custody of his four children. Most significantly, the magistrate expressed a strong disapproval of the Igbo custom that had enabled the children’s surname to be changed to that of the mother’s new husband, Abua Obi in this case.

He characterized this tradition as “barbaric, evil, ungodly, irrational, discriminatory,” and underlined its insensitivity and servitude in penalizing one party when two consenting adults are involved.

Furthermore, the court invalidated the publication that had changed the surname of the first two children from Obayan to Abua Obi, and any similar publications made during the case’s pendency.