MEMBERS of the northern chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (Can) have asked President Muhammadu Buhari to intervene in the constant abduction and forced marriage of underage Christian girls to some emirs across the country.
Recently, Isiyaku Tanko of Warkaza community in Kudun Kankara Local Government Area of Katsina State, accused the Emir of Katsina of forcefully abducting and marrying his 14-year-old daughter, Habiba Isiyaku, and denying her of her constitutional rights. Habiba was alleged to have been abducted on August 16 by an official of the emir and worker in the palace, Jamilu Lawal.
However, the emirate denied the allegations that Habiba was eventually forcefully married out to Lawal. It said the girl converted to Islam on her own volition and was later married out according to Islamic rites and the police have expressed helplessness over the matter.
Yesterday, a delegation of Can northern chapter leaders led by its chairman Reverend Yakubu Pam, met with President Buhari at state house in Abuja. While there, the group congratulated President Buhari on the marriage of his daughter in Katsina and pleaded with him to convince other northern leaders to emulate such respectable processes in contracting marriages.
Reverend Pam said: “We came to present ourselves as the northern Can chapter to the president and to tell him some of the challenges that northern Christians are passing through. One of those challenges is that we are having difficulties in expressing our faith in the northern part of the country and we have also told him some of the difficulties we are passing through with the Fulani herdsmen.
“The farmers need to be protected and in fact, we told the president that we have been encouraging our youths to go into farming and they need to be protected and when they come into the city as there is no employment. We also talked on the issue of girl-child abduction in the north as in some northern states, some young girls and children are being abducted at 12 years old and the parents will just hear that the girls have been married to traditional rulers and emirs.”
President Buhari said he would keep faith with the oath of office he swore and treat all Nigerians equitably and promised to restore peace to all parts of the country. He urged the clerics to promote religious harmony, by enhancing understanding among different faiths.
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