The marriage saga in Katsina State
involving a minor, Habiba Isiyaku, a 14-year-old girl who was allegedly
abducted, converted to Islam and forced into marriage by her abductor,
Jamilu Lawal, has raged for nearly two months.
But the Minister of Women
Affairs, Senator Aisha Alhassan, who should be at the forefront of the
efforts to defend the rights and dignity of such innocent minors, has
maintained a disturbing silence.
Though, Habiba has denied being abducted
or forced into the marriage, at 14, and under the country’s laws, it is
clear that she is acting in all innocence. Besides, her father, Isyaku
Tanko, has opposed the marriage and demanded the return of his daughter,
albeit, unsuccessfully. The Nigeria Police, too, has seemed helpless.
The police was only able to summon the
courage to “advise the girl to go back to her parents” just last Monday,
despite learning about the matter since September. Yet Alhassan, under
whose ministry the responsibility of protecting vulnerable persons like
Habiba falls, has remained silent. This ominous silence must be broken. –
Vincent Obia
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