An Ilorin Area Court has fixed July 18 for judgment on who should take custody of five children of a divorced couple.

The father, Alhaji Abdulraheem Mahmood, approached the court to claim custody of the children who have  been living with their mother, Hajia Rasheedat Sa'ad, since the couple divorced in December 2011.

Mahmood, an employee of the National Commission for Museum and Monuments, told the court that he wanted to take custody of the children because his former wife had remarried and he did not want his children to live with someone else.

He added that since they divorced, he did not have access to the children and their whereabouts.

He said his former wife withdrew the children from their schools two months after he paid their school fees without his consent.

He showed the receipt of the payment of the fees as evidence before the court.

However, Sa'ad,  who is also a civil servant, objected to the request of the complainant on the ground that her ex-husband was irresponsible.

She said although  Mahmood was the rightful father of the children, he had not been responsible for their upbringing since they were born.

Sa'ad said Mahmood started paying the children's school fees  two years ago when he got a job.

"He did not give any penny for maintenance and is very brutal when he punishes children to the extent that the children are afraid of him," she said.

The presiding judge, Mr Ibrahim Umar, adjourned the matter to July 18 for judgment.