Minister to Sue Niger State House of Assembly Over Arranged Marriages of Orphaned Girls

 The Minister of Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, has in a petition to the inspector-general of police (IGP) sought a court injunction to halt the marriage of 100 girls in Niger state. This petition comes one week after speaker of The Niger State House of Assembly, Abdulmalik Sarkindaji, announced that he would sponsor the wedding of 100 girls, some of whom were orphaned by insurgency, as part of his Maringa constituency project. The speaker further stated he had procured materials for the event scheduled for May 24, and promised to pay dowries for the bridegrooms.

During a press conference in Abuja, Mrs. Kennedy-Ohanenye expressed her disapproval of the plans, highlighting that thorough investigation had been initiated into the matter. In her words: “I want to let the honorable speaker of house in Niger states to know that this is totally unacceptable by Federal Minister Of Women Affairs and by the government totally unacceptable. Because there is something called the Child’s Right Act and I said it from the onset, that is no more business as usual.These children must be considered their future must be considered the future of the children to come out of their marriage must be considered. So I have gone to court. I have written him a letter and written a petition to the IG of police. And I have filed for injunction to stop him from whatever he is planning to do on the 24th, until a thorough investigation is carried out on those girls, find out whether they gave their consent, their ages, find out the people marrying them."