Connect with us

Crime

We’re being married off to pay debt, Yobe children cry out

Published

on

We’re being married off to pay debt, Yobe children cry out

Members of the Children’s Parliament have raised the alarm over the betrothal of under-aged girls to old men for economic reasons.

The parliament raised the alarm, yesterday, in Abuja at a media roundtable organised by Save the Children International (SCI) to commemorate the 10th anniversary of International Day of the Girl Child.

A girl champion from Yobe State, Khadija Badamasi, said: “Yobe State, where I hail from, due to poverty, has the largest number of child brides in North East Nigeria. In my community, most people are farmers, and due to poverty, parents borrow money to cultivate their farms.

Advertisement

“During harvest, if the father is unable to pay back the loan, a father usually takes the decision to give out his daughter in marriage, regardless of her age, most times, to a man old enough to be her father or grandfather.”

This girl bride, she added, is treated like a slave with no respect of any kind because of how she was betrothed.

“Girls in my community face a lot when it comes to early and forced marriage. Child marriage has caused more harm than good in my society today. It violates children’s rights and places them at high risk of violence, exploitation and abuse,” she said.

Advertisement

Badamasi also pointed out that girls with disabilities face additional barriers to accessing support and services, adding that the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) worsened the plight of girls around the world and took away important gains made over the last decade.

 

READ ALSO: Tinubu addresses ministerial retreat, pledges to sustain Buhari’s legacy

Advertisement

 

The Chairman of, the Committee on Child’s Participation, Miss Madina Abdulkadir, said the girl, just like the boy, who has a right to security and education, also deserves to live a healthy life.

She, therefore, called on the government and other stakeholders to raise awareness of the important role girl plays in society.

Advertisement

SCI Nigeria’s Director of Advocacy Campaigns, Communication and Media, Mr. Amanuel Mamo, called on governments at all levels to develop and fund national action plans to end child marriage and other forms of violence against children.

According to him, Nigeria is among the countries with the highest number of child marriages and out-of-school children, as the number of girls marrying each year is estimated at 12 million – two million of them married before their 15th birthday.

While commending states that have passed the Child Protection Law, he urged others to follow suit.

Advertisement
Continue Reading
Advertisement
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Crime

Court remands 2 over alleged attempted murder

Published

on

Court discharges man accused of burning father’s house in Abuja

An Ikeja Magistrates’ Court, Lagos, on Wednesday, remanded two persons, Olaitan Fasasi and Kehinde Tobiloba in a correctional facility over alleged attempted murder.

Fasasi, 40, and Tobiloba, 26, whose addresses were not provided, are being charged with conspiracy, attempted murder and membership of a secret society.

The Magistrate, Mr L.A Owolabi, did not take the plea of the defendants for want of jurisdiction.

Advertisement

Owolabi directed the police to forward the case file to the Director of Public Prosecution for legal advice.

He thereafter adjourned the case until May 31 for mention.

The Prosecutor, Josephine Ikhayere, told the court that the defendants committed the offences at about 5.02p.m on Feb. 15, at Mushin, Lagos.

Advertisement

She said that Fasasi, Tobiloba and others now at large, attempted to commit murder by shooting at a resident, Alfred Ademola.

“They armed themselves with a locally made gun. They belong to Eiye Confraternity, a group proscribed by law,”, she said.

Ikhayere said that the offences contravened Sections 230(1) and 411 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2012.

Advertisement

He said that the actions of the defendants also contravened Section 2(3)(a)(b)(c)(d) of the unlawful societies and Cultism Law of Lagos State Law.

Continue Reading

Crime

Man jailed 3 months for stealing mobile phone

Published

on

An Area Court in Jos, on Tuesday, sentenced one Jeptha John, to three months imprisonment for stealing a Redmi mobile phone valued at N165, 000.

The judge, Shawomi Bokkos, sentenced the John after he pleaded guilty to the offence.

The judge, however, gave the convict an option to pay N20, 000 fine and N50, 000 restitution to the complainant.

Advertisement

Bokkos said that if the convict defaulted in paying the restitution, three months should be added to his sentence to make it six months imprisonment.

Earlier, the police prosecutor, Insp Monday Dabit, told the court that the case was reported at the B Division Police Station, Jos, on Dec.  1, 2024, by Ms Nerat Danjuma.

He said that the complainant alleged that the defendant trespassed into her house and stole her mobile phone valued at N165, 000.

Advertisement

The prosecutor further told the court that the offence contravened the Plateau State Penal Code, Law of Northern Nigeria.

Continue Reading

Crime

Army apprehends 15 over suspected oil theft in Niger Delta

Published

on

Troops of the Nigerian army have apprehended no fewer than 15 persons over suspected oil theft and illegal oil bunkering activities in the Niger Delta.

Lt.-Col. Danjuma Danjuma, the Spokesman, Nigerian Army, 6 Division, Port Harcourt, said in a statement on Monday that the operations were carried out in Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Delta, and Rivers recently.

Danjuma said that the army apprehended 15 persons, dismantled 32 artisanal refineries and seized 14 boats during operations.

Advertisement

He further said that during the operations, conducted between Jan. 6 and 12, the troops confiscated no fewer than 60,000 litres of various petroleum products

The spokesman said that the operations were part of a broader collaborative effort with other security agencies to combat oil theft in the Niger Delta region.

Danjuma said that the raid commenced in Bille, Degema Local Government Area, and Rivers, where soldiers dismantled seven illegal refining sites, confiscated 20,000 litres of crude oil, and destroyed two boats.

Advertisement

“We also deactivated ten illegal refineries, several crude oil cooking pots, and receivers, and recovered about 19,000 litres of stolen petroleum products along the Imo River.

“In Odagwa, Etche, our troops intercepted three boats carrying about 12,000 litres of stolen crude oil and arrested three suspects in the process.

“Similar operations were carried out in Abiama, Asa, Obuzor, Okoloma, Ozaa, Ukwa, and Oyigbo” he added.

Advertisement

He stated that the soldiers advanced to Nkisa in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area of Rivers, where they confiscated 1,600 litres of crude oil and 1,200 litres adulterated diesel.

Danjuma said that along Ndoni Road, the troops intercepted a Toyota van transporting an estimated 1,200 litres of stolen condensate.

The spokesman said that in Buguma, Asari-Toru, Rivers, the troops dismantled two illegal refineries, seized 1,500 litres of stolen crude oil, and apprehended five suspects.

Advertisement

“In Baberegbene, Southern Ijaw, Bayelsa, our soldiers dismantled an illegal artisanal refinery and intercepted a wooden boat carrying no fewer than 1,500 litres of stolen

“Similarly, an illegal refining site containing an unquantified quantity of stolen petroleum products was deactivated in Emago-Kugbo and Oluasiri communities in Nembe, Bayelsa.

“The operations continued in Akwa Ibom and Delta, where troops maintained a strong presence and effectively denied economic saboteurs the liberty to operate,” he said.

Advertisement
Continue Reading

You May Like

Copyright © 2025 Acces News Magazine - All Right Reserved.

Verified by MonsterInsights