Lawmaker condemns forced underage marriage, calls for customary courts
The Chairman, Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, Senator David Umaru, has condemned the involvement of a sharia court in the forced marriage of underage girl, Janet Habila in Shiroro local government of Niger state, calling on the state government to urgently establish Customary Courts to provide judicial access and fair hearing in cases affecting Christian individuals in local communities.
Umaru stated this at the weekend while speaking at the summit of the Youth Wing of the Christian Association of Nigeria (YOWCAN), Niger state chapter in Minna.
The lawmaker also called on the state government to fulfill its promise to recruit teachers to teach Christian Religions Knowledge (CRK) in public schools adding that it was unfortunate that nothing has been done about the promise six months after government rushed into the press with the Christian teachers recruitment announcement.”
The lawmaker described as unfortunate the role played by the sharia court in the marriage saga of the minor adding that it was a bitter reminder of the continued denial of Christians in the state free access to justice and fair hearing in customary matters.
He said, “the issue of the underage Christian girl that was forced into marriage recently in Erena area of my constituency with the active connivance of a sharia court judge to a Muslim man has been widely reported in the media. Although I was not aware of the matter at the early stage but I have taken steps to ensure that justice is done. I am aware that some people have been arrested and that the police has began further investigation into the matter”.
He explained that he was not against the operation of sharia courts in the state but was seriously stressing the need for the government to establish customary courts that would adjudicate for Christians while the sharia courts adjudicate for Muslims who believe in Islamic laws.
He argued that the existence of only sharia courts in the villages have continued to constitute gross violation of the fundamental rights of Christian individuals in the state adding that the government should urgently redress the judicial imbalance with the establishment of customary courts across the 23 local governments of the state.
