SANI YERIMA AND THE 13-YEAR OLD "BRIDE"

I was completely left speechless reading from the dailies how the "Godfather" of sharia in Nigeria, the man who has been a source of mayhem for those who opposed his questionable move for systematic "sharianisation" of Nigeria, took a 13-year old Egyptian girl to be his "4th" wife. He sent one of his former four wives parking so as to avoid having an excess as permitted by his religion. Sani Yerima and the so called girl's parents' move is not only pathetic but simply in-human.

In a civilised society, Sani Yerima, the man who has enacted and enforced the sharia law to stone, cane, cut the limbs of petty thieves and others contravening the "law", while he himself today is yet to account for millions during his tenure as the governor of Zamfara state. The religious zealot like the Pharisees of Jesus' days, have sought to operate on another level different from that which he sought applied to the people.

Sani, paid 100, 000 US Dollars as bride price for the 13-year old child. The marriage which could not be conducted in Egypt was done in the central mosque in Abuja. Where in the world does anyone pay that much for a bride price? Is it that he bought the child from the parents? It is sad to note that while the Nigerian lawmakers talk about child rights, there has been no official condemnation of Yerima's action. The life of this child is completely compromised and so is that of the previous wife who was dumped to accommodate his evil quest. The possibility of VVF is no doubt high when minors are made to have sex, impregnated and undergo labour and child birth. The stress of labour and delivery have resulted in many cases of females with VVF in the north of Nigeria. These victims, ironically have become outcasts in a society that has failed to pay attention to the inhuman practice of allowing marriages involving minors.

Will Sani Yerima allow his 13-year old daughter to get married at an age where she is just supposed to be beginning secondary school? How will he feel sleeping with a 13-year old child? Does sharia which he has taunted the people with allow such a practice? In a more organised society he would have been charged as a paedophile, yet he identifies himself as a Senator. He like many others are simply a disgrace and do not in anyway deserve to have such a title in a sane dispensation. Unfortunately, ours is far from sane. The government should not fold its hands and allow this sort of rubbish to continue otherwise it will be setting the stage for more evil things to follow.

I feel quite sad for the child involved. A victim in the hands of a "privildeged predator". If the Egyptian laws did not permit marrying a minor, I wonder why this was allowed in our own setting. Sad...sad...and very sad indeed