A 42-year-old businessman, Livinus Uwa, has told an Igando Customary Court in Lagos that he married a thief.

Uwa made this known when he testified in his divorce petition against his wife, Chineye, on Wednesday in Lagos.

He urged the court to dissolve his four-year-old marriage to Chineye because of her penchant for stealing his money in the wardrobe.

“I married a thief, on several occasions, my wife stole my money from my wardrobe, rendering me broke. The last time she burgled my room and stole N350, 000.

“I reported the theft at the police station and she confessed to the theft, but the money was not recovered,

“I have reported all her attitudes and stealing habits to both families, they called her but she refused to change,’’ he said.

The petitioner accused his wife, who failed to appear in court after several summonses of abandonment, adding that since they married, Chineye had been appearing and disappearing.

“When she was pregnant, she left the house to an unknown place and came back after she was delivered of the baby.

“She abandoned our baby when she was 10-month-old; I have to engage a baby sitter to take care of her. When the baby was two years, I enrolled her in school and my wife reappeared,’’ he said.

He described his estranged wife as a lazy and dirty woman, adding that “Chineye is lazy, she cannot cook, wash or sweep and I do the house chores.

Uwa pleaded with the court to dissolve the marriage, since he could no longer condone her stealing habits, adding that he was no longer in love with her.

In his judgment, President of the court, Mr Adegboyega Omilola, dissolved the marriage.

Omilola held that it was obvious from available testimony and the respondent’s refusal to appear in court that the marriage had hit the rock.

He said throughout the duration of this case, the respondent refused to honour court summon, adding that the court had no other choice than to dissolve the marriage.

“The marriage between Livinus Uwa and Chineye Uwa is hereby dissolved from today, both parties are no longer husband and wife, they are free to go their separate ways without any hindrances and molestation,’’ Omilola said.