In the core Northern cities of Nigeria, girls become wives between the ages of 9 and 12 at the least.
Although these underage marriages are supported by Islamic law (Sharia) as practised in those areas; they are nothing but paedophilia. Such practices of sleeping with children lead to Vesicovaginal Fistula (VVF).
By the way, VVF occurs when there’s injury to the vaginal wall. This injury sometimes occurs through violent rape and most times during child birth.
A pregnant girl-child whose birth canal is not well-developed may find it difficult to bear her child.
This will eventually create a hole between the vagina and the bladder.
Once this hole is created, the girl-child will have urine/fluid licking from her vagina. This constant wetness of the vagina will lead to irritation and then infection.
In addition, the foul-smelling discharge from the vagina will make her paedophile husband to abandon her for a new girl-child for a wife.
Usually, women with VVF are blamed for the disease and therefore, they are ostracised by the communities. This gives the paedophile-husband the excuse to marry another underage girl.
Moreover, these men support their sexual appetite for girl-child on the fact that Islam allows a man to marry up to 4 wives. But looking at it critically, VVF could be the reason why Islam provided for 4 wives.
Well, the people of southern Nigeria thought VVF and underage marriages are domiciled only in Northern Nigeria. Unfortunately, these paedophiles have crossed the border to kidnap, Islamise and marry girl-child Christians from southern Nigeria.
That was what happened to Ese Oruru from Bayelsa state of Southern Nigeria. A certain man called Yunusa kidnapped the 13 year old girl, took her to Kano state, converted her to Islam and married her.
What makes this case so sad is that since August 2015 when Ese was forcefully taken to Kano, the mother has been pleading with the police to rescue her daughter to no avail.
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| Muhammadu Sanusi II |
Another sordid part of this shameful story is that the girl ended up at the palace of Emir (Islamic King) of Kano – Alhaji Sanusi – former governor of the central bank of Nigeria.
But how did this girl end up at the Emir’s palace? What was the Emir’s interest in the girl? Even when Ese’s mother visited Kano to plead with the Emir to release her daughter, she was told that her daughter has converted to Islam.
A powerless woman from Bayelsa state facing a powerful Islamic Fulani king from Kano with an unhelpful police on the side, there will only be one loser. The loser went back to Bayelsa state leaving her fate and that of her child in God’s hands.
However, it took the efforts of Punch newspapers that publicised the family’s ordeal for the police to do something. Even then, the police couldn’t rescue Ese from the Emir’s palace as the Islamic ruler was in Saudi Arabia for hajj.
In fact, Nigerians were enraged when the police boss said that he was waiting for the Emir to return before the girl could be released.
At last, Ese was released but now, she is 5 months pregnant with the possibility of developing VVF during child birth. This is the height of impunity. Emir Sanusi and his emirate council wouldn’t have released Ese if Punch newspapers didn’t expose them. They have already stolen the girl from her parents.
Ese was rescued because her parents identified who kidnapped her. Otherwise she would have been killed or released when her captors could no longer bear the smell of her VVF.
Who knows how many other underage girls that are held at the Emirs palace? They may not be as lucky as Ese especially being held at a place that police cannot access unless they are permitted to come in.
That is the story of Nigeria. And when we write to highlight these ill treatments, some people label us divisive. I guess those people who call us divisive love how these Muslim marauders violated Ese. Thus, may their daughters be in line for the next to be kidnapped by these scavengers.
I wish Ese a speedy recovery from her ordeal while praying that God will further expose Emir Sanusi and his emirate council.