Oluwole Josiah, Abuja


The National Human Rights Commission, on Wednesday, insisted that former Governor of Zamfara State, Senator Ahmed Sani, had a case to answer in the marriage he contracted with an Egyptian minor.

The commission also disclosed that the girl was the daughter of Yerima's driver in Cairo, noting that by the facts from the United Nations office in Egypt, the girl's age is 14 years and not 13 years as largely reported.

It said this when it appeared before the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions.

The NHRC Director of Legal Services and Protection, Mr. Olukayode Senbanjo, said the action of the senator was condemnable and was an offence under the Child Rights Act.

He told the committee headed by Senator Omar Hambagda that Sani risked five years imprisonment or N500,000 or both if found guilty by the court.

Senbanjo said, "Whether she is 13 years or 14 years, under the law as operational in Abuja which is the Federal capital Territory, she is regarded as a child under the Child Right Act 2003. If a marriage truly took place between Senator Yerima and the 13 years or 14 years old child, the laws are there as to what the Act is.

"Section 21 of the Act stipulates that no person under the age of 18 years is capable of contracting a valid marriage and accordingly a marriage contracted is null and void and of no effect whatsoever.

"The punishment is stipulated in section 23 of that same Act, which says the person who marry a child or whom a child is betrothed or who promote the marriage or who betroth a child commit an offence and he is liable on conviction to a fine of N500,000 or imprisonment for a term of five years or both."

Senbanjo further said that if the marriage had been contracted in Zamfara where the Act was not domesticated the commission would not have been bothered about it.

He noted that some Islamic countries were already legislating on the right age for a girl to be given out in marriage, which is from 18 years and above, adding that under any law, whether Christian, Moslem, pagan or free thinker, the Child Right Act does not permit marriage under the age of 18 years.

Members of the committee noted that there was need for the amendment of certain conflicting sections of the Constitution in order to tackle the problem and forestall such incident in the future.

They also urged the Human Rights community in the country to send memorandum to the National Assembly for the amendment of relevant sections of the 1999 Constitution as it relates to marriage to minor and other human rights issues.