#ChildNotBride: Girl absconds from husband’s house after getting forced into early marriage

by Oge Okonkwo

crying child
File photo

A 17-year-old girl (name withheld), a native of Agaie local government, Niger State,  has absconded from her husband’s house for being forced into marriage  and taken refuge at the Niger State Ministry of Education.

Reports the girl’s wish was to complete her education before marriage. Currently in Senior Secondary Two (SS2), her parents thought differently and wanted her to get married, a situation which made the girl run away after being forced into her  husband’s home to seek refuge at the ministry.

Leadership reports:

The state commissioner of Education, Danladi Umar Abdulhameed, told LEADERSHIP that the girl has been made to go back to the Emir of Agaie’s palace for the government to properly intervene.

“The girl as a priority has to go back to school. We are not against marriage but education is first for any child,” the commissioner declared, stating that the girl who is a student of Government Girls Secondary School, Agaie, has been handed over to the Emir and the parents have been warned not to force the girl into marriage against her wish.

He stated that the plan of the government was to take full responsibility of the lady’s education and ensure that nobody stops her dream in line with the girl-child education programme of the state government.

Abdulhameed said it was criminal and inhuman for parents to withdraw children from school as well as deny them the opportunity to go school, adding that the state has passed into law necessary provisions to prosecute parents who deny their children access to education.

While saying that by the state’s free education programme lack of fund is not an excuse for children to be withdrawn from school, he advised parents to ensure that their children key into the free education programme.

One comment

  1. í ½í¸­ Child abused ب_ب

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