The Katsina Emirate Council on Thursday declared that
the marriage between 14-year-old girl, Habiba Isa, and
the Emir of Katsina, Alhaji Abdulmumin Usman, was
irreversible.
The council said the marriage and Isa’s conversion to
Islam were voluntarily and willingly entered into by the
girl.
The council told officials of the Katsina State chapter of
the Christian Association of Nigeria, who visited Usman
in his palace over the issue, that there was no evidence
that the 14-year-old girl was forced to act against her
wish.
The family of Isiyaku Tanko of Warkaza community in
the Kudun Kankara Local Government Area of Katsina
State on Wednesday alleged that Usman forcefully
abducted their 14-year-old daughter and forced her into
marrying him.
She was said to have been abducted on August 16,
2016, by one Jamilu Lawal, an aide of the emir, who
worked in the palace. She was converted to Islam and
held incommunicado.
Isa is expected to clock 15 years on Saturday, October
15, 2016, and would have resumed school for the new
academic term, but for her abduction.
She was said to have passed her Junior Secondary
School Certificate Examination and was expected to
start Senior Secondary School.
The incident was blown open when the father of the
victim lodged a complaint with Stefanos Foundation, a
humanitarian civil rights organisation, which took over
the matter.
Isa was allowed to appear before CAN officials and
others in the palace on Thursday, and was asked three
questions by the Kaora Katsina, Alhaji Nuhu Abdulkadir,
on behalf of the emirate council.
She was asked whether she was forcefully converted to
Islam, to which she replied no.
She was also asked whether the emirate council or any
other person forced her into the marriage with the emir,
to which she also answered no.
[b] The third question was whether by the time she met her
husband, she was already experiencing menstrual
period, to which she answered yes.]
The Kaora Katsina said, “The three questions are in line
with the dictates of the Islamic religion. [/b Since Isa has
voluntarily answered the three questions in our
presence, there is no going back on her marriage.”
Abdulkadir explained that in as much as the emirate
council would not want to be involved in the
controversy surrounding the marriage, the palace of the
emir was open to all Nigerians irrespective of religion
and tribe.
A letter purportedly written by Isa’s father was read to
the gathering, apologising to the emirate council for any
embarrassment the issue might have caused it (the
council).
The CAN Chairman for Katsina State, Very Rev. Nelson
Ugochukwu, however, told the emirate council that Isa’s
marriage did not have the consent of her parents, who
he said, were crying for justice in Abuja.
The CAN leader said the association was not in support
of the marriage and her conversion to Islam.
He said, “This girl (Isa) standing before us is 14 years.
She is supposed to be in school and not given out in
marriage.
“We are not pleased and we demand justice. Her
parents are in Abuja, crying for justice. In my religion,
you cannot give out any lady in marriage without the
consent of her parents. This marriage does not have the
consent of this little girl’s parent. The parents are not
happy with what has happened.
“As the CAN chairman in Katsina, I am the father of all
Christians in the state. Our people are not happy. The
parents told me that the girl is 14 years. She is
supposed to be in school. I want justice to be done in
this matter. I want the emirate to look into the matter.
To us, the girl is still a Christian.”
Punch

234vibesmedia.com.ng/katsina-emirate-council-has-said-emirs-marriage-to-14-year-old-is-irreversible/

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Every blessed day I wake up and force myself to try and love Islam. But every blessed day, Islam wakes up and does everything to prove it can't be loved

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