So... Everyone is now claiming different things about this 15 year old girl and her 'demented' husband.

Someone called John Chidi has come out to claim the girl is 17, not 15, and that Izu is not mentally _retarded.

He also claims they were lovers.

There's something I want to say about recent stories surrounding the traditional marriage of my friend izunna.

And I don't know where to begin.

First of all. The man, izu is my friend and a brother. I know him all my life. And I even know the girl that he married.

He and the girl dated for a while before he married her. I even attended the traditional marriage.

Some of us his friends posted a picture of him and his wife on a Facebook, and some overSabi human rights activists took it personal.

They started ranting. "oh a 56 years old man married a 15 years old girl.

Oh. They forced the girl into marriage.

Oh. Her parents have sold her into marrying an old man."

But it's all lies and far from the truth.

People just saw something on Facebook and Twitter and took offence.

Some of these overSabi lawyers even came from far place to ozubulu my hometown, in their so called operation #SaveChinwe. Because they read and saw something on Facebook, and they think that they have understand the whole thing.

Izu may look old but he's not really fifty something years old like I'm seeing all over social network. And izu have some sort of physical deform, but he has a sharp brain. And he's a good man. Ever since I know him. I've never heard that he got into a problem with anybody.

And chinwe is not 15 years old. She's 17 years old.

Yes. She's too young to marry. But nobody forced her to do anything.

But these desperate so called human rights activists with police just came out to his house yesterday with police and took his wife away and lock him up because they saw something like child abuse on Facebook.

Izu doesn’t even use Facebook.

It's one of us who are his friends posted the pictures of his traditional marriage on Facebook and people misinterpreted it. We don't meant to destroy his marriage but this is what we have caused. Izu is still in detention as I'm writing this.

Even his wife who they claim that they saved was not really happy with her so called saving. Because there's nothing to be saved in the first place.

She even told the police that nobody forced her to do anything. That she willing married izu. Yet they wisked her away.

Like I said. It may sound weird but they actually love each other. I know them for a long time. She will come back to izu, when the dust settled. When the so called human rights activists declared 'mission accomplished' and go back to their miserable lives.

Right now, the family are organizing to see how they will bail out izunna.

People just don't want to mind their business. I even read somewhere that izu family have money. That's why the parents of the girl forced her to marry him.

But my people. Look at that picture of their traditional marriage. Where the girl was sitting on izu lap. Do it look like a traditional marriage of rich people? They don't even have the money to sew or buy traditional marriage dressing.

It really hurt me to read all these things and see all these things happening to izunna.

These are one of the negative effects of social network. People just see something on Facebook, and they started taking it personal and judging. Without getting the clear picture.

Please can this rubbiish story stop already?

Your English and your reasoning confirms that you are actually Izu's friend!

Errm... The last picture tho. The way the man is using his hand to force the girl's head to make contact with his says alot.

It is either he is mentally deranged, or the girl was forced to take that shot.

What's my own self?

delugajackson:
The day Nigerians learn to mind their business, is the day we move forward as country. This was in no way a forceful marriage, as the bride was not looking sad or in distress. Two families agreed to this union of which all was paid for in the presence of witnesses. How is it now society's problem? Is the man in question a criminal? Does he not have rights as everyone else?

Which is worse - Having a 17year old under the loving arms of her mentally disturbed husband or having an 83year old relic at the helm of affairs in a country of over 200m people? Which one affects us personally? Who should we go after? Honestly speaking, we really need to get our priorities straight as a country. Life is simple, but that doesn't mean you should make it hard for others. It costs 0.0Na!rà to mind your business and stay in your fvcc'n lane.

I wonder why you all always have to link everything to Buhari; a strange and unusual romance.

It's getting old.

The talk is becoming too much. As long as the girl is under 18 she is not old enough to get married.
If Izunna or whatever his name is really liked that girl he should have just waited until she was 18 or 19 or 20 years old before he began dating, courting her and considering marriage but no Izunna rushed to date and get married to a girl under 18 and his stupid friends are defending him. He knew better, his family, her family and his friends all knew better, but they just decided to be wicked.


Izunna is in jail cooling off for being lovers with a girl under 18 years. That's where he belongs. His family. The girl's family and this stupid friend who think that this rubbish they tried to pull off is acceptable need to join him.

Hmmmmmmm

only poverty can do this
the izunna should be released unconditionally
we Nigerians are just reactive, not proactive, there are hundred cases like this our there

First the girl is suppose to be in secondary school or University.she does not even know what she wants right now.the people around her feel marriage is an achievement....
Now to the poster will u marry ur 17years old daughter off??even 18 years see.talkless to a man 20years senior to her..
If u daughter is old enough to be married and brings a man twenty plus senior to her will u agree?
He said she will go back that is cos everyone around her will clamour for her to go back.the only way I see that girl been help is to take her from that environment.

She is still below 18 years.

Let her get to that age and have small sense to realise whether or not she wants to be with him.

If the guy had little sense, he would have figured that out.

Hmmmmmmm

I think doing an underaged, even with her consent, is ‘Statutory rape’

Hmmmm


There was a certain senator that married a twelve year old one time...shouldn't he have been arrested?

Hausa girls are usually married at the average age of fifteen years.

Somehow, I think the issue should have been handled with a little care. The girl already had a child and claimed not to mind being married to the dude. We should have been more careful. 17 will be 18 next year.

Remove poverty from the equation and that girl wouldn't be where she is now.

The reality is that the girl will likely go back to the man after the dust settles and the NGO/paparazzi fades out. I have not read or seen long term plans for the girl anywhere. . .

With a child and poor background, her options are limited but that does not make Izu her only option. She can get better ! Izu's people should have waited till she is 18 atleast but then with the responsibility of feeding a child, the girl and her people MIGHT have pushed Izu's people to come and marry her fast to save them the extra mouth.

Police were fast to arrest Izu, what about the man or men that knocked her up and left her with a child to cater for? It's okay to bannng and impregnate a 17 years old but a crime to marry her?

well I was mad at them before because I thought the marriage was forced due to poverty but I later discovered that they have been dating and the girl was not forced.
And the young man is 27 and not 50
The gal is 17 and not 15,, Thou 17 is still not there yet.

Now my take is, I don't see the reason why they should lock him up, they would rather dissolve the marriage if they found it inappropriate, rather then locking him up.
This is too bad.

Afteral in North the senators and rumors marry 14year old gals without noise.
Pls let them free the young man Biko

ifyalways:
Remove poverty from the equation and that girl wouldn't be where she is now.

The reality is that the girl will likely go back to the man after the dust settles and the NGO/paparazzi fades out. I have not read or seen long term plans for the girl anywhere. . .

With a child and poor background, her options are limited but that does not make Izu her only option. She can get better ! Izu's people should have waited till she is 18 atleast but then with the responsibility of feeding a child, the girl and her people MIGHT have pushed Izu's people to come and marry her fast to save them the extra mouth.

Police were fast to arrest Izu, what about the man or men that knocked her up and left her with a child to cater for? It's okay to bannng and impregnate a 17 years old but a crime to marry her?

The gal is actually saying she must go back.
I don't know why they would lock the innocent guy up, he didn't force anybody.
People just use social media to blow things out of proportion.
Don't be suprsied some them shouting up and down are even abusing underage girls.

koyyes:
She is still below 18 years.

Let her get to that age and have small sense to realise whether or not she wants to be with him.

If the guy had little sense, he would have figured that out.

But in North people marry young gals below that age with even force and we don't hear any noise.