The wedding of a primary 5 pupil to a man old enough to be her father have been stopped just before it started.
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) came to the rescue of the young girl when it stopped the planned marriage.
The child-bride who is 13-year-old girl primary 5 pupil of POWA Primary School in Abuja was supposed to be married off to a 40-year-old man on Friday, July 24, 2015 in Abuja.
The marriage was stopped by the Commission after an investigation.
In a statement issued by the Chief Press Officer of the Commission, it said that following a tip off, the Commission interrupted the ceremony and retrieved the minor from the offender’s house and invited all parties involved to the Commission including the groom to be, one Mr. Ibrahim, who had full knowledge that the girl was less than 18 years of age prescribed by Law.
After thorough interrogations, the Commission quoted the relevant laws to back its action of stopping the marriage which include Sections 21, 22, 23 of the Child Rights Act 2003 which prohibits child marriage or betrothal, an offence which is punishable by five years’ imprisonment or 500,000 naira fine.
The Executive Secretary of the National Human Rights Commission, Professor Bem Angwe, while referring the matter to the Commissioner of Police, FCT Command for prosecution, also stated the determination of the Commission to ensure the implementation of the Child Rights Act and its enforcement against all persons irrespective of their status or religious belief.
The Executive Secretary charged parents and guardians to be cautious and ensure that their children and wards are not exposed to early marriage which does not only go against the law but has psychological, social and health effect on the child.
A senator representing Zamfara West, Senator Ahmed Sani Yerima married an underage girl from Egypt in 2010 and he was investigated under the Child Right Act but he insisted that he did not violate the sharia law.
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) came to the rescue of the young girl when it stopped the planned marriage.
The child-bride who is 13-year-old girl primary 5 pupil of POWA Primary School in Abuja was supposed to be married off to a 40-year-old man on Friday, July 24, 2015 in Abuja.
The marriage was stopped by the Commission after an investigation.
Professor Bem Angwe
In a statement issued by the Chief Press Officer of the Commission, it said that following a tip off, the Commission interrupted the ceremony and retrieved the minor from the offender’s house and invited all parties involved to the Commission including the groom to be, one Mr. Ibrahim, who had full knowledge that the girl was less than 18 years of age prescribed by Law.
After thorough interrogations, the Commission quoted the relevant laws to back its action of stopping the marriage which include Sections 21, 22, 23 of the Child Rights Act 2003 which prohibits child marriage or betrothal, an offence which is punishable by five years’ imprisonment or 500,000 naira fine.
The Executive Secretary of the National Human Rights Commission, Professor Bem Angwe, while referring the matter to the Commissioner of Police, FCT Command for prosecution, also stated the determination of the Commission to ensure the implementation of the Child Rights Act and its enforcement against all persons irrespective of their status or religious belief.
The Executive Secretary charged parents and guardians to be cautious and ensure that their children and wards are not exposed to early marriage which does not only go against the law but has psychological, social and health effect on the child.
A senator representing Zamfara West, Senator Ahmed Sani Yerima married an underage girl from Egypt in 2010 and he was investigated under the Child Right Act but he insisted that he did not violate the sharia law.
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