On Thursday, a businesswoman named Ehsan Ahmed testified in a Grade I Area Court in Kubwa that she never barred her ex-husband Sa’ad Abubakar from seeing his children.
At the most recent adjournment, the court ordered Ahmed and Abubakar to agree on the precise time of day to pick up their children, according to Ahmed’s attorney, Hauwa Usman.
Usman stated that the parties had not yet decided on a pick-up or drop-off time.
Contrary to the plaintiff’s assertion, the respondent asserted, she has never obstructed the plaintiff from picking up his children.
“Our children are the ones refusing to go with him when he comes to pick them up.
“The plaintiff demanded to pick them up at 10 a.m on Saturday and drop off at 6pm on Sunday but i want him to pick them at 11 a.m on Saturday and bring them back at 5p.m on Sunday.
“Our children ages six and five wakeup by 5.a.m during the weekdays for school and Saturday is a sleeping day for them to rest.
”I want them to be dropped off at 5pm on Sunday because they go to bed at 7pm to have enough time to prepare for school, ” she said.
Ahmed said that during the holidays Abubakar can drop them off as late as 9pm on Sunday adding that he comes to see them during weekdays and nobody stops him.
”When the children spent part of their holidays with him sometime back, i was not pleased with their condition when they returned.
“My daughter has allergies and we are presently seeing a consultant because her hair falls off, she needs serious care on her hygiene due to her allergies to dirt, ” she said.
She added that Abubakar buys food outside for the children like Suya which is not hygienic.
In response, Abubakar said that his daughter’s allergies is not new because he has them too adding that he does not expose her to what triggers the allergy.
“I buy what the kids tell me they want like pizza, shawarma and suya from well known spots in Abuja and not from where can harm them.
” I prefer to pick my children up on Saturdays at 9 a.m because I engage them in physical sports like taekwondo in the morning and skating in the evenings.
” I also want my children to be in touch with my family and culture and would want them to be with me for half of their holidays and the other half with their mother, ” he said.
The judge Yahaya Sheshi however adjourned the matter until Feb.14 for the children to be brought to court before ruling is delivered.
Abubakar and Ahmed were married for five years but no longer live as husband and wife, as they have separated since July, 2022.
He had filed an application to the court for enforcement of judgment given on the custody of his children to compel his ex-wife to allow him access to the children. (NAN)