Group counters women affairs minister, supports mass wedding of children orphaned by bandits

The Ulama Forum in Nigeria, has drummed support for the Niger State House of Assembly over its attempt to marry off over 100 female children orphaned by bandits. 

The group in a statement by its convener, Aminu Inuwa Muhammad and Dr Basheer Adamu Aliyu, on Friday, said Niger State and five other states of the North West have been devastated by banditry in recent years and many families have lost their heads.

“As Muslims, most of the people have remained steadfast in their faith with a firm commitment to the Shari’ah. Even the victims have decided to remain resolute by maintaining the institution of marriage, rather than resort to prostitution and human trafficking to Europe like other Nigerians who could not withstand economic hardships.

“It is in the light of the foregoing, that the Ulama Forum in Nigeria fully supports the marriage of 100 girls, whose parents were victims of banditry and kidnapping. The Honourable Speaker of the Niger State House of Assembly facilitated and partially funded this religious duty. It should be emphasised that the Honourable Speaker was duly diligent in carrying out this social responsibility. 

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“Unfortunately,the Minister of Women Affairs, who is fond of stirring controversies decided to seize the opportunity by exploiting media attention with her Islamophobic diatribe, that the marriage solemnization of the couples must stop. Thus, she exhibited her hatred for Shari’ah which sanctifies the marriage of the couples. The actions of the ‘Honourable’ Minister are selective, destructive, amateurish and tribalistic. The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria guarantees religious freedom and recognizes the provisions of the Shari’ah that approves the marriage of the couples. 

“The Minister is seeking attention by attacking this Islamic religious duty instead of seriously combatting and preventing criminal activities that destroy our youthful population. These criminal activities include trafficking of girls to Europe by Mamas and cultists, baby factories in the East where innocent girls are subjected to the most inhumane treatment by cultists and kidnapping and trafficking of innocent children from the Northern to the Southeastern part of the country for use by cultists and others. The Minister is selective because she has not given any attention to these crimes for reasons best known to her, instead, she decided to seek for attention by being anti-Muslim in her attack against the marriage of the orphaned by insecurity.

The group also accused the Minister of Women Affairs of hiding behind the Child’s Right Act. 

“As a lawyer, she ought to know that States in Nigeria have their own Child’s Right Law or Children and Young Persons Law. The Child’s Right Act does not apply beyond the Federal Capital Territory. She should have exercised caution to find out the extant law in Niger State. She also tried to hide behind the issue of education of the orphans. We challenge her to give Nigerians the statistics of her Ministry’s support for the education of such orphans across the States devastated by insurgency, banditry, kidnapping, civil disturbances, etc. Marrying out the orphans does not and cannot hinder their education. We have record of many married young ladies that went to university and graduated successfully. That is far better and more honourable than allowing them to become prostitutes.

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“The Ulama Forum in Nigeria extends its full support to the Niger State Forum of Imams and other stakeholders in Niger State who initiated the wedding and prays to Allah to continue to guide them in this responsibility. We also use this opportunity to call on the Minister to use her good offices in the interest of Nigerians without fear or favour as enjoined by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. She ought to recognise the values of multi-culturalism and promote tolerance and mutual understanding instead of instigating hatred and religious crisis. 

“The Minister should be more responsive to crimes against humanity perpetrated by cultists and human traffickers so as to redeem the good image of Nigeria than rushing to court to obtain order against the wedding of orphans whose parents were victims of insecurity. The Tinubu administration should be wary of such reckless public officers and institutions that will set it against the people. Niger State is one of the States that voted for Mr. President overwhelmingly. But here is a Minister whose State voted against Mr President trying to set his government against the good people of Niger State. Let the parasitic Minister tell us the votes her State gave to Mr. President. In the same vein, while we do not advocate interference with the judicial process, President Tinubu should take note of the courts making reckless orders that may set people against his administration.”