THE Speaker of the Niger State House of Assembly, Abdulmalik Sarkindaji, has announced plans to marry off 100 female orphans as part of his empowerment project.
According to Punch, the speaker who represents the Mariga Constituency disclosed this to journalists in Minna, the state capital on Friday, May 10.
The female orphans whose age were not disclosed were said to have lost their parents to banditry attacks in Mariga Local Government Area.
Sarkindaji promised to pay their bride price and claimed to have procured all necessary materials for the mass marriage ceremony.
Accordingly, the ‘beneficiaries’ were ‘carefully’ selected from the 170 girls whose names were submitted.
The marriage is slated for May 24 at Bangi, the headquarters of Mariga Local Government Area.
The Speaker described the ‘initiative’ as part of his constituency empowerment project, “aimed at alleviating the suffering of the impoverished.”
He explained that the Niger State Governor, Mohammed Umar Bago, and the Emir of Kontagora, Mohammed Barau, would serve as guardians to the female orphans during the mass marriage ceremony.
The Kano State Commander-General of the Hisbah Board, Sheikh Aminu Daurawa, is expected to attend the event.
In 2023, The ICIR reported rampant practice of forced child marriage in Niger State. The report covered the Bida Emirate of the state.
It detailed how young girls in the Emirate were tortured while resisting marriage. The girls were hypnotised by a prominent herbal doctor, scolded by relations, forced to marry in court, fled to the bush and allegedly lived in the mountains for days in order to escape being compelled to wed.
The girls’ parents also shared their views in the report. While some regretted the actions, others condemned their girls for rejecting their decision and going against tradition and the prevalent Islamic religion in the state.
Stakeholders, including community and religious leaders, lawyers, and health officials, said child marriage was rife in the state and condemned the practice.
The sources who are Muslims said forced marriage was against Islam. They also spoke on the need for children to receive education, at least until they complete secondary school, before marriage.
In 2021, a report by Save the Children International revealed that about 78 per cent of girls in Northern Nigeria were victims of forced child marriage.
The report showed that Nigeria had one of the highest rates of child marriage in the world.
Even though the Niger State Speaker admitted that the brides were carefully selected for the planned wedding, it remains unclear whether they consent to it.
Nurudeen Akewushola is an investigative reporter and fact-checker with The ICIR. He believes courageous in-depth investigative reporting is the key to social justice, accountability and good governance in society. You can reach him via [email protected] and @NurudeenAkewus1 on Twitter.