Maryam Muhammad from Nigeria had petitioned a Grade I Area Court in Kubwa, Abuja to order her daughter’s father, Harisu Yahaya to pay for the child’s maintenance.
“Yahaya gave me ₦2,000 for feeding and sent another ₦2, 000 for Sallah clothes but neglected our daughter afterwards.
“I want the court to order him to provide for his daughter and pay her school fee,” the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) quotes the petitioner as having said in her petition.
When he appeared before the court on Monday, October 30, 2023, Yahaya said he was not in a position to fend for their six-year-old daughter, especially the school she has been enrolled in.
“I am the father of the child. I am not married to the plaintiff, it is the work of the devil that I impregnated her,” the respondent said.
When Yahaya said he did not have the wherewithal to pay for his daughter’s maintenance, Muhammad told the court that she wouldn’t mind withdrawing the petition seeking to compel him to take care of the child if he was willing to take custody of her.
"He has parents and our daughter can stay with them. I will withdraw my petition for maintenance if he takes our daughter,” she said.
She lamented that since the birth of the little girl, the Yahaya has not provided for her, leaving the burden on her alone to carry.
Having heard from both the petitioner and the respondent, Ibrahim Rufai, the judge instructed Muhammad to draft a new custody request and bring her daughter to court on the next hearing day.