Man petition IGP over adoption, forceful marriage of teenage daughter
A farmer in Shudna village in Shiroro local government of Niger state, Mr. Habila Gambo, has petitioned the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Alhaji Ibrahim Idris, over the adoption and forceful marriage of his 16 year old daughter, Janet, by a tailor, Nasiru Yusuf, in Erena village of the state.
In the petition titled ‘Compliant of criminal breach of trust, kidnapping unlawful adoption, and forceful marriage of a minor, Janet Habila by one Nasiru Yusuf of Erena village in shiroro local government of Niger state,’ Mr. Gambo said his teenage daughter was kidnapped and forced into marriage by the man who was entrusted to train her as a tailor.
The petition filed on behalf of Habila by Cosmic Chambers signed by Daniel Omakor Esq and dated April 24, 2017, copied to other agencies and made available to Daily Times in Minna, also accused a Sharia Court judge in Erana of conspiring with Yusuf to secretly order a marriage between Janet and Yusuf under unknown Islamic law without the consent of her Christian parents knowing very well that the girl is a minor and a Christian.
The petition read in part: “On March 15, 2017, our client got home and was showed a summons from the Sharia Court, Erena commanding him to attend court the following day unfailingly.
Our client, accompanied by his cousin, one Pastor Ishaya Jagaba, without knowing the nefarious grand plan that awaited him, was shocked to hear from the Judge of the Sharia Court that his daughter Janet had converted and embraced Islam and her name has been changed to Zainab and she has been married to Nasiru Yusuf of Erena whom she has been entrusted to learn the art of tailoring.”
Habila said that the judge ignored his vehement objection to the purported marriage on ground his daughter is a minor and incapable of giving consent for marriage without her parents.
He expressed shock that the judge ordered him out of the court saying he was only summoned to be informed of the marriage and nothing more.
He lamented that earlier petition to the Minna Area Police Command did not yield any form of justice and Nasiru was released at the state CID and Janet handed over to the suspect after establishing the fact that the girl was a minor and there was no parental consent
The petitioner is demanding the immediate return of Janet to her parents from the unlawful custody, and the conduct of a thorough medical examination on her as she is likely to have been violated and defiled by Nasiru.
He prayed the IGP to order full scale investigation into the matter and the immediately prosecute Nasiru Yusuf alongside the judge
