The daddy of the four-year-old woman, who was allegedly married to a 54-year-old man in December 2023, has insisted that the purported marriage was a standard observe performed to avoid wasting the little woman’s life.
The dad and mom of the kid and three others, together with the alleged husband and the paramount ruler of the group, made the assertion after they appeared earlier than the Bayelsa State Authorities’s Gender Response Initiative Group, GRIT, over the incident of the alleged baby marriage.
Arogidigba International Journal learnt that of their separate submissions earlier than the crew of consultants, all of them insisted that the purported marriage was a standard observe and was finished to avoid wasting the little woman’s life.
In line with them, it was a cultural observe in Akeddei, a group within the Oyakiri clan in Sagbama Native Authorities Space, whereby if a lady baby all the time fell sick, a person was required to pay a symbolic quantity to avoid wasting the little woman from dying.
They mentioned that what transpired between the four-year-old woman and 54-year-old Akpos Napoleon was not a wedding however an Ijaw cultural observe referred to as ” Koripamo.”
They famous that each time the normal ceremony of “Koripamo” is performed, the person who pays the “token ” isn’t required to take the woman as a spouse, nor will he cease her from marrying any man of her alternative when she grows to the age of marriage.
In line with them, the ceremony may be carried out for a boy or woman.
Morris Aboma, the daddy of the woman, who spoke in his Ijaw language, mentioned his daughter was usually sick to the purpose of loss of life, including that in accordance with Akeddei custom, the one method to save her life was for a person to pay a symbolic value, which had nothing to do with actual marriage.
Napoleon, the alleged husband, mentioned: “As it’s now, I’m regretting doing all I did simply to avoid wasting the kid’s life. She’s now not sick. That custom has been happening for a very long time.”
He mentioned the one distinction of their case was that the so-called marriage was not usually “celebrated to the extent of hiring a cover, a sound system and cooking meals.”
He added: “Since they mentioned she would die if I didn’t do what she mentioned, I needed to search for cash and do it as a result of it concerned life.”
The paramount ruler of Akeddei group, HRH Moneyman Binabo, mentioned in his submission that he heard of the wedding locally in the course of the Christmas festivities however didn’t have full particulars till the DPO of Sagbama Police Station requested him to supply those that received married locally.
Binabo mentioned he needed to invite the dad and mom of the little woman to get detailed data on what occurred on December 27. He, nevertheless, mentioned that what shocked him was the demand of the little woman that meals be cooked and cover and sound system be employed to have fun the ceremony.
The paramount ruler additionally averred that the person who pays the token on the woman is neither anticipated to take her dwelling to stay with him as his spouse nor can he cease the woman from marrying another individual of her alternative when she is sufficiently old to marry.
Kizito Andah, Bayelsa State Coordinator of the Little one Safety Community, CPN and Taritei Boco, Bayelsa State Chairman of BANGOF, mentioned from the submission of the dad and mom of the little woman, the alleged husband and the paramount ruler of Akeddei group, what occurred was not a proper marriage however a cultural observe. Additionally they famous that from the knowledge gathered, the little woman has not been sexually abused, as confirmed by Dr James Omietimi on the GRIT workplace, and that the kid resides a traditional life with no relationship with the 54-year-old man.
Talking instantly after the assembly, the chairman of the Bayelsa State Gender Response Initiative Group, Dise Ogbise Goddy Harry, said that the deliberation was frank and fruitful and promised to offer additional updates each time a call is taken by the Bayelsa State Ministry of Girls Affairs, Youngsters and Social Growth and different stakeholders.
“Like I had said earlier the Bayelsa State Authorities is child-friendly and can do something to guard all the youngsters of the State from any type of perceived abuse,” she mentioned.