Parents of a Christian 16-year-old girl are crying out for help following the decision of a Sharia court sitting in Erena to forcefully marry their daughter Janet Habila, to her Muslim tailor boss, Nasiru. According to Sun News, this happened in Erena district of Shiroro Local Government Area, Niger State. (above is a picture of the girl’s mother)
Janet
was an apprentice in Nasiru’s tailoring institute in Erena, where her
father, devoted church leader with the United Mountain of Grace in
Shundna village, had enrolled her in 2016 to learn the trade after she
refused to further her education beyond primary school.
Janet
until recently was the leader of the Sabo Rayi (new life) group in the
church. Her parents as a way of empowering her, enrolled her to learn
the tailoring trade but were shocked to receive a notification of her
marriage through a Sharia court in Erena. Nasiru, a Nigerien national
who settled in Erena, was said to have approached the court to join him
and Janet as husband and wife without seeking the consent and approval
of the parents.
“According
to a source close to the family of the girl, Nasiru was said to have
craftily organized some Muslim men and women in the area to stand as the
parents of Janet in court to enable the marriage to take place.
“Habila Gambo, Janet’s father told Sunday
Sun that unless the decision by the Sharia court, presided over by Umar
Shehu to forcefully marry his daughter out to her Muslim boss without
his consent was reversed, “it will eventually lead to a possible
religious crisis in Erena.” Gambo warned that even if such illegality
had happened elsewhere and they get away with it, “Erena and its
environs would be thrown into confusion and possible anarchy by the
practice of forced conversion and marriage.
Narrating
what happened further Gambo said: “To my surprise, on March 16, 2017, I
came back home and met a court summon, asking me to report at the
Sharia Court, Erena. On getting to the court, I was told that my
daughter had converted to Islam and that her marriage had been fixed for
2:00pm
that same day. I told the Sharia court judge that as a father of Janet,
I was not aware of such arrangement because my daughter never discussed
anything like that with me. Therefore, I was not going to accept it and
I would not be part of it.
“But
to my surprise the judge told me that the court only wanted to inform
me and that was all. He said that the marriage would go on as planned
even without my consent. My daughter had never told me that she wanted
to convert to Islam not to talk of marrying a Muslim, I paid a lot of
money to train her and I would not allow this to happen while I am
alive.”
Gambo reported
the matter to the Niger State Police Command through a formal letter,
urging the police to intervene and rescue his daughter from what he
called an “unlawful marriage”. Following his complaint, the police
promptly arrested Nasiru and detained him at the State Criminal
Investigation Department (CID), Minna. Janet who was as asked to narrate
what transpired, Janet told the police that she could not recall what
actually happened but that she discovered that she was taking every
instruction from Nasiru.
“I
was confused, I didn’t know what happened, but I was taking every
instruction from him (Nasiru). I was afraid to let my parents know
because of the consequences and I was equally afraid to turn down
Nasiru’s love advances even though inside me I didn’t like the idea.”
After
taking her statement, Janet was handed over to the parents and were
asked to return to the police after five days while investigation into
the matter continued. Shockingly, when they returned to the police
headquarters, Janet demanded that she should be allowed to say
something, which, according to her, had been bothering her since she was
handed over to her parents. She declared that she was not returning
home with her parents as she was ready to join her husband, Nasiru.
Her
father broke down in tears and wept uncontrollably as he watched his
daughter being handed over to Nasiru by the police because the court had
earlier pronounced them husband and wife and it was only the same court
that could dissolve the marriage. He has now promised to challenge them
with the last drop of his blood blood, saying ‘This will never happen
in my life time. My daughter is not a stray animal, and even a stray
animal has owner. Nobody can take my daughter from me for free without
my consent.’
Janet’s
mother, Asabe Gambo was also assaulted by Nasiru’s relations when she
went to visit her daughte. Narrating the experience, Asabe said: “I only
wanted see my daughter when the women in the house gathered and started
beating me and calling me unbeliever who should not be welcome into the
house. They told me that my daughter was now a Muslim and, therefore,
did not need any unbeliever around her. They didn’t allow me to even
sight my daughter with my eyes. I am seriously in pain, as a mother who
carried her pregnancy for nine months,” she lamented. “I want God to
take my life instead of experiencing this kind of situation as a mother.
This is quite unfortunate, I don’t want to believe that this is
happening to me. My daughter’s sudden change of attitude is not
ordinary. As a Christian, I strongly believe that God will surely pass
his judgement over this unfortunate experience. My daughter will surely
regain her senses and return back home.”
360L
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