For 10 months, TOPE OMOGBOLAGUN traced the families of young girls who were abducted, converted to Islam and married without parental consent
It has been over a year since the disappearance of 15-year-old Aisha Mani, a Christian, from the Gidan Dandada area of Katsina State.
Before her abduction, Aisha, who lived with her elder sister following their mothers’ death, was reportedly harassed by some men who allegedly married her off.
Aisha’s father, Mani, is still distraught. He claimed that despite residing in a community of mixed faiths, Christians had to live at the mercy of Muslims. He noted that there had been widespread fear over rampant cases of girls being abducted and married off without the consent of their parents.
“I noticed that this man known as Mohammed Samaila was becoming unnecessarily close to my daughter and would pass strange comments,” Mani said. “Knowing the kind of environment we live in and past experiences with other girls, I decided to take action. In the same circumstances, about eight girls had been abducted and forced into marriage in our community,” Mani said.
He alleged that the abduction cases were reported to relevant authorities in Samaila, but no action had been taken so far.
The disappearance of Aisha has also taken a toll on the health of her father, who is now battling high blood pressure.
He added, “We were still searching for her when on February 12, 2021, we received a call from the district head of Kafur asking us to stop looking for our daughter. He said Aisha was safe in his house.
“We visited his home and requested that our daughter be released, but he refused on the grounds that they wanted to convert her to Islam.”
However, the Manis weren’t willing to let their daughter go irrespective of the price they had to pay.
Aisha’s uncle, Emmanuel Yawa, a policeman, explained that the abduction, Islamisation and forceful marriage had brought them torture. He noted that Aisha was under his watch when she was taken against their consent, and he could not save her.
Yawa recalled, “About 10 days after her abduction, the district head called us stating that a man identified as Mohammed Samaila wanted to marry our daughter. Our efforts to stop the forceful marriage were futile since the district head went ahead to arrange for Aisha’s wedding without our consent or approval.”
The family contracted a law firm that immediately wrote a petition against the district head, Alhaji Abdulrahman Rabe, and Mohammed Sama’ila to the Katsina State Commissioner of Police through the Malumfashi Area Command. In the petition, the family demanded the immediate arrest, investigation and prosecution of the two suspects.
The petition also demanded the release of Aisha. Unfortunately, no arrests were made. Although Kafur’s district head was summoned, no further action was taken.
He stated, “We later agreed that Aisha be brought to the police station but the district head refused to comply. Instead, he decided to take our daughter to the Emir of Katsina on the same day. The Emir of Katsina facilitated Aisha’s marriage without the consent of her parents.”
Mani noted that other families undergoing the same ordeal failed to air their grievances due to fear.
He said, “These people keep doing what they do and getting away with it because they capitalise on the fear in the minds of the victims. We Christians are in the minority here and we are used to being quiet while they keep abducting our daughters. Once we face them, they come to our house to kill us and bring down our buildings. We are so helpless in the hands of these people.”
According to the Hausa Christian Foundation President, Mr Danlami Jydson, such activities are prevalent in the northern part of Nigeria.
Jydson is actively involved in helping abducted girls reunite with their families.
He continued, “That particular village, Gidan Dandada Rafin Ayaka, Sabuwar Kasa, in Kafur LGA, Katsina State, has suffered such unjust treatment from the district head of Kafur and the Emir of Katsina.
“To date, a total of nine Hausa Christian girls have been abducted, forcefully converted to Islam and forced into early marriage by the same district head that helped Samaila abduct Aisha.”
A reporty by the United Nations Children’s Fund stated that Nigeria has the highest number of child brides. An estimated 22 million child brides live in Nigeria, which accounts for 40 percent of all child brides in the region. Niger, which has the highest prevalence in the world, has 4.1 million child brides.
Supporting this, another report by Statista in 2022 stated that Between 2012 and 2018, 18 percent of females in Nigeria were married before the age of 15, whereas 44 percent of girls before the their 18th birthday.
Notably, Nigeria’s rate of child marriage is one of the highest in Africa. This is in spite of the Child Rights Act, 2003 that prohibits marriage below the age of 18 and the provision of Section 17 (3)(f) under Chapter II of the 1999 Constitution that the state shall direct its policy towards ensuring that “children, young persons and the age are protected against any exploitation whatsoever, and against moral and material neglect.”
Meanwhile, some of the states that operate Sharia Law have failed to adopt that provision of the CRA, 2003 federal law which stipulates 18 as the age of maturity for marriage. Similarly, some southern states that have localised this provision have yet to take adequate steps to implement it as there are some cases of child marriage.
Like Aisha, 16-year-old Joy Dankaka was abducted in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. She was on her way back from school just before the lockdown was imposed as a safety measure. Dankaka, who lived with her foster parents from Dorayi Gidan Sarki in Kano State, was also forcefully married off without the consent of her guardians.
Her father, Rev Markus Ahmadu, noted that they were expecting Dankaka back home when the Kaduna State Government ordered the closure of schools on March 23, 2020, as part of methods to contain the pandemic.
Ahmadu said, “It was in the course of the search that the village head of Rumi informed us that Joy was with him in the house of the Chief Imam of Ikara, Hamza Bello. Fortunately, Joy was able to get access to a phone which she used to send a message to her relative that she had been abducted and that her life was in danger.”
Upon visiting the house of the Chief Imam, they were told their daughter had now become a Muslim and could no longer live among Christians.
“We insisted on getting our daughter back, but the Chief Imam declined, claiming that she had to be married and her Muslim parents had given their consent. On another occasion, when we went back, the Imam incited some youths to threaten our lives.”
The matter was reported to the authorities, but the lockdown delayed the pursuit of justice. Fortunately, there was a reprieve for the Ahmadu family after the Hausa Christian Foundation intervened, leading to the rescue of Dankaka in 2021.
Her rescue brought relief to her family but her father pointed out that the teenager was still traumatised.
Jydson explained that in the Hausa Christians Foundation, advocacy is a vital tool for restoring the dignity and freedom of the people. He noted that abductions and forced marriage had become familiar and rooted in many northern Muslims’ cultural and religious beliefs.
He said, “This is an issue that has been around since time immemorial, but the world is now civil and the people here have refused to let go of this barbaric practice. It is even sadder because when these girls are abducted and we carry out investigations, we discover that these acts are perpetrated by wealthy Muslims, Alhajis, Emirs and politicians.”
He stated that the involvement of influential individuals in marrying off young girls made it challenging to get justice.
“What we do is that we speak and fight for those who cannot speak or fight for themselves,” he noted. “In our belief that all humans are created equal irrespective of tribe, gender or religion, we advocate for upholding the sanctity of life, protection of fundamental human rights, religious freedom, girl child education and encouraging peaceful coexistence and religious tolerance.”
In the last three years, the foundation has managed to rescue 16 Christian girls in the North reportedly abducted, forcefully Islamised, sexually abused and married off without the consent of their parents.
“We intervened through our legal personnel in four other cases and unjust treatment of northern Nigeria Hausa Christians. We still have more girls and even married women still in captivity going through the same experience Dankaka went through,” he added.
Crying for help in captivity
Asabe Mani, a resident of Rafin Iyak in Katsina State, was abducted over a year ago and is still in captivity. According to her uncle, Dauda Idris, she was kidnapped while running an errand.
He said they were waiting for her to return home, but her whereabouts were unknown. Idris explained that as residents, they suspected what could have happened to Asabe.
“We contacted the relevant authorities to report it but we were made to realise that she was kept in the residence of the district head. On visiting the district head, we were informed that Asabe was forced to convert to Islam.
“We didn’t object since we have Muslim relatives. We only suggested that Asabe should be released to us to practise the religion of her choice in her father’s house, but the district head had refused to let her go. We reported this incident to the area command of Malumfashi, but nothing came out of it. Rather, we were told that she had been married off to someone,” he said.
Idris added that the girl was married to a man in Bara Kusa, adding that efforts to get her back had not been successful.
Pastor Markus Shawai, the father of Rikatu, also explained how his daughter was abducted. Shawai said it was essential to act fast before the girls were married off.
He added that in his case, he found out that his nephew was part of the ploy, but thankfully, he was able to secure the release of his daughter.
“I complained to the district head about my daughter’s abduction the following day. Fortunately, my daughter was released after 48 hours. In the course of the investigation, it was revealed that Usman, who was my nephew, played a part in her abduction,” said Shawai.
Her daughter is now married in a consensual relationship.
Besides young girls, even married women are prone to abduction. For instance, Thibi Timothy, a mother of two, was abducted on her way to work.
Her father, Idris, said, “Thibi was abducted in Kano on April 15, 2020. Before then, she and her husband ran a business together. We heard rumours that Thibi was kidnapped, but unfortunately, the marriage proposal was dissolved for unknown reasons. Subsequently, Thibi got released, and she is now home with her husband and children.”
Seeking solace in painful relocation
Relocating children who are in danger of being kidnapped is common in northern Nigeria. For instance, Felicia Anjola (not real name) was forced to move her children to the southern part of the country when she realised what was at stake. Their true identity were hidden for safety of the parents.
Anjola said, “I was born and brought up in the North as a Christian. I also got married in the North, so I am very aware of these practices. The moment I observed the behaviour of some of the guys around my 15-year-old daughter, I knew I needed to do something about it. I moved all my daughters to Lagos,” said Anjola.
Her daughters have since resumed school in Lagos.
Like Anjola, the Karounwi family also shared their experience of the painful departure of their only daughter. She was sent to Osogbo in Osun State to live with her grandmother to avoid being abducted and forcefully married.
Mrs Imole Karounwi (not real name) said parents were getting wiser and more sensitive to the ploys of the abductors as they always used the same tactics.
Ese Oruru, a sad antecedent
On August 12, 2015, 14-year-old Ese Oruru was abducted by one Yinusa Dahiru, popularly known as Yellow, an acquaintance of her parents.
Dahiru kidnapped Ese from her mother’s shop in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State and eloped with her to Kano, where she was Islamised and forcefully married.
Ese was named Aisha after the marriage in the palace of the then Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, who once served as the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria.
However, in February 2016, Oruru was rescued, already five-month pregnant.
The emotional torture the incident must have subjected the 14-year-old to can best be imagined. It was a classic case of a child becoming a parent by force. The HCFO chairman said one of the reasons it was easy to get help for Oruru was due to her southern origin.
There was also outrage in 2015 when Senator Yerima Shettima married a 13-year-old girl. Although the senator defended himself, stating that his actions were in line with Islam, the matter suddenly went silent.
There was also uproar when Sanusi reportedly married a 17-year-old girl. The teenager, according to reports, was one of the princesses of the Lamido of Adamawa, Alhaji Muhammadu Barkindo Aliyu Mustafa.
Islam’s position on girl-child marriage
Speaking on the issue, the Chief Missioner, Nasrul Lahi-l- Faith Society, Imam Abul-Azeez Onike, said the forceful marriage of girls was not in tune with the principles of Islam.
He stated, “Anything that will bring harm to people is not Islamic.
“There is a saying of the popular scholar that whatever runs contrary to justice, whatever runs contrary to goodness, whatever runs contrary to mercy, whatever runs contrary to wisdom can never be part of our religion.
“Instead of allowing the scripture to talk to you, you can talk to the scripture, and if you want to talk to the scripture and you are talking according to your position, you can give meaning to whatever the scripture says.”
Onike said child marriage did not exist in Islam, stressing that any female going into marriage should be mature; the person should not be exposed to any health hazard and her education must not be hampered.
He added, “In Islam, there is nothing like forceful marriage; there are four basic requirements in Islam; offer and acceptance from the couple involved; parental consent; what you call dowry, we call it sadaki; and the last one is witnesses. Any Islamic marriage you attend, these conditions will be read out.”
Girl child becoming endangered
The Child Right Act was adopted in 2003, but the reality of abduction of girls and forceful marriages in Northern Nigeria calls to question the efficacy of the law.
Ejiro Umukoro, a girl child rights advocate, recalled events leading to the adoption of the Act after an international convention.
She said, “That convention inspired the National Assembly with a lot of media pressure, including a foremost Islamic body that came out strong to fight it, because they believed that the child Rights Acts infringed on their religious beliefs.”
As of 2016, 27 states and FCT had adopted and codified the Child Rights Act. There are about nine states left that have yet to adopt and domesticate the Child Rights Act.
Umukoro added, “We need to understand that religion, for example, in northern Nigeria where they believe that a child should be betrothed; that’s their culture and religious belief. Nigeria is a country where religious leaders’ voices are compelling. The religious beliefs are strong that the people don’t know how to separate them even when they infringe on their own lives and well-being.”
He also dismissed some of the misconceptions about forced marriages involving children.
He said, “If a child is taken from age nine or 10 and taken to the home of the man, the impression is that that the man doesn’t have sex with the child until she’s 18. But we have seen that does not hold because once a man living in that environment believes that the woman is his property because he’s married. That kind of mindset impinges ownership on the child, and then one day, he takes her.
“He doesn’t consider that as rape; he considers it that the girl performs her marital responsibility. He considers that as his right. He feels he doesn’t need the young girl’s consent; she is supposed to pay her marital rights,” she said.
Umukoro said a committee on the implementation of the Child Rights Act has a lot of work to do in ensuring that the rights are not only domesticated but also implemented.
“For instance, they have domesticated them, but Rivers State has done something remarkable. They have a special court that tries gender-based violence on young girls, boys, women or anyone who may have been abused in one way or the other.”
He recommended an aggressive implementation approach with follow-up, monitoring and feedback mechanisms. According to Umukoro, there should be consequences for perpetrators.
He also faulted some media platforms for enabling victimhood, where the faces of the victims are splashed on pages of newspapers, television screens and websites.
The rights activist said, “In Nigeria, we need to decide what we want as a country. The case is that we use the penal code for the northern part of the country, while in other parts of the country we use the criminal code.
“That is why you should be having this conversation because the protection of your child should supersede any religious belief, doctrine or tradition. It’s about protecting a human being, and when we do this, we begin to see changes.
“We also need the media organisations to do more and commit more efforts to public service announcements geared towards this kind of awareness, campaign, mindset change and what have you. Its consistency must be like we give airtime and space to political issues or crises and things like this.
“We need all of these collaborative efforts, and we must all speak with one voice. When we fight for the rights of a child, we fight for another human being that may become the leader of our country someday.”
Sharia and the Nigerian constitution
Human rights lawyer and civil rights advocate, Inibehe Effiong, said Nigeria had a fundamental problem, which he described as a problem of dual ideology.
He said, “The constitution proclaims that no state should adopt religion above anything as the federation’s government. In another state, the term constitution recognises the allowance of Islamic personal law. Now, under chapter four of the constitution, there is a right to guarantee it.
“These are fundamentals, but irrespective of what the argument is, what is essential is what is known as the hierarchy of law; the constitution sets pre-eminence over any other law in Nigeria, including Sharia Law, and that is what we call the principle and supremacy of the constitution which is enshrined in Section 1 of the constitution.”
Effiong maintained that Section 1(1) of the 1999 Constitution clearly states that the constitution is supreme and its provisions are binding on all persons under the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Subsection 3(1) also states that if any other law is inconsistent with the information of the constitution, the constitution shall be supreme and that other law shall, to the extent of its inconsistency, be void.
“That other law includes Sharia Law in its entire ramification whether it is the criminal aspect of it as contained in the various criminal laws in the northern states or Sharia personal laws in matters of custody of the child, marriage and inheritance. Every other law will oppose the constitution,” Effiong added.
Effiong stated that dual ideology emanating from institutional inefficiency was the main challenge bedeviling Nigeria. He cited countries like the United Arab Emirates that were gradually abandoning primitive practices.
He urged that the Sharia Law should not override the constitution regardless of religious beliefs.
He added, “There are laws that have been set to cater for the welfare of the girl child including the Good Child Act of 2001 that has expressly defined the state of maturity.
“While the Child Rights Act does not apply to some parts of the country, they have made the argument about domestication that those areas would have to domesticate it, and that argument is neither here nor there; it has not been tested in court.”
The human rights lawyer further blamed northern leaders for allowing practices such as early child marriages to fester.
He said, “There is no House of Assembly in the North whose members are inclined to civilisation that would allow a child of 12, 13, 14 and 15 years to be taken as a bride. No religious argument should be allowed to justify that kind of behaviour because those who are supporting this religious bigotry, their children do not go through that.
“No northern senator or northern governor in this country would allow his female child of a teenage age to be taken as a bride. They send their kids to top schools abroad or here in Nigeria; they give them the best life and they even marry among themselves.”
Effiong also stated that the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons had done little about the case of abduction and forceful marriage.
He said, “If it is proven that an emir abducted a child for his bride or allows child marriage to take place under his emirate or even orchestrated such marriage, he should be deposed.
“That is why we need to sanitise the system; we have a problem where people are not ready to abide by the law, and that is because they use religion to keep the people intoxicated; they make it look like a state of Islamophobia to speak against vices.
“The results are glaring, and that is why I have always said that the leadership has to drive it. While the media can make a lot of noise around the issue, the real decision-making must lie with the decision-makers, which is the government.
“Unfortunately for Nigeria, the politician is driving towards religious bigotry. They have politicised religion, so they don’t even give room for serious arguments about these things.”
Effiong stated that even the police should be blamed for the issue of abduction and forceful marriage.
He added, “When issues are reported, the police often shy away from it. We have a senator who married a young girl, and people were clapping for him, and they couldn’t talk. They were defending him. We cannot be living a primitive lifestyle and expect the result of civilisation; it is not possible.
“The leaders must lend their voices against these vices. Sharia is inferior to the supremacy of Nigeria. The only law that is superior is the constitution because we cannot have the supremacy of religion over the constitution. A country like ours must be heterogeneous; if it is religious, it will result in strife and anarchy. Over and above every other law is the constitution.”
Relevant authorities keep mum on the issues
All efforts to get the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria proved abortive as the spokesperson, Mr Kayode Oladeji, who promised to revert with a response did not, in spite of six weeks of constant calls and messages as reminders. “I will get back to you. Sorry for the late reply,” he had said.
Similarly, when our correspondent reached out to the District Head of Kafur Local Government Area of Katsina State, Chief Abdulrahman Rabethe, on his involvement in the abduction and forceful marriage of Aisha and other girls in the community, he declined to comment.
He spoke in Hausa, “I cannot comment on the issue. If you want any information from me, come to the community to hear what I have to say.” Despite persuasions by our correspondent for him to speak on the telephone because of the distance apart, he declined.
Also, the spokesperson for the Emir of Katsina, Mallam Iro Bindawa, said it wasn’t his place to comment on the issue but that he would get back to our correspondent.
He said, “I can’t really talk on the issue, I need to contact the right person and get back to you.” Meanwhile, the response has yet to come as of press time.
- This story was produced with a reporting grant from ICFJ in conjunction with Code for Africa.
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