Women Protest Against Agency's (NAPTIP) Quiz of Yarima

Daily Trust
Akor Ojoma28 May 2010

Two different women groups have protested against the quizzing of Senator Ahmad Sani Yarima over his marriage to an under-aged Egyptian girl.

The protesters stormed the National Agency for the Prohibition of Traffic in Persons and Other Related Matters (NAPTIP) yesterday saying Yarima should be left alone because he did nothing wrong.

Hajiya Fatti Dahiru who spoke on behalf of the first group said the attack on Yarima is an attack against Islam and Hausa-Fulani culture.


She said she married at the age of 9 and stayed with her mother in law for 4 years before consummating the marriage with her husband like most of the women protesters.

The second group led by President of the widows and less-privileged empowerment association Abuja, Mrs Rita Audu said Yarima has been the benefactor of widows in the country right from when he was governor of Zamfara State till now.

She said the moral bankruptcy in the society today makes it a good thing for girls to marry very early.

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The women carried placards with messages like 'Leave Yarima Alone', 'Do not deny us our Islamic rights', 'Yarima friend of widows', etc.

Executive Secretary of NAPTIP Barrister Simon Egede thanked the women for the civil way they behaved and made their request known.

He however said that it is the National Assembly that makes laws and the agency is just enforcing it. He advised the women to address their grievances to the National Assembly which enacted the Child Rights Act and the NAPTIP Act.

While promising to look into the issue, Egede asked the women to take their case to the National Assembly if they want the law to be repealed or abrogated.

I am afraid of all this religious politics,It is like Gun Powder waiting for fire to ignite.

As sensitive as this may be,we are a Nation,not a single religion or cultural organization and we are under a collective influence of a LAW,We cannot set aside the whole law because of peoples culture or belief.
The law cannot be abrogated. If he Yarima as a leader and a member of the higher law making body of the country doesn't know the binding rules of and on his country, then what future does the legislature of our great country holds?.

Look at the laws properly and you will find that not all federal laws apply federally without some proviso somewhere. Likewise state laws do not apply through out the state without some conditions in certain local government areas. Besides, most of the laws dealing with marriage, inheritance and so on in the north are based on the Penal code-created to accommodate the muslims way of life, which is their religion, while on all other matters the English law applies. Hence you have Sharia Courts up to the top with its own president and judges etc.When you read law now you can opt for the common law or sharia civil and become a Barrister. I know you all these Chinex.

That means the people from that part can marry small children and toddlers ?.I see,then let us get the law issues straight,because some people believe it is their religions law to kill others.How can we justify that?.

Perhaps you know those people whose religion allows them to kill people. I do not and I am a muslim. I said somewhere on this forum that it would be better to pass on a subject you have no knowledge of than to blunder and get into a maze of your own making. Sound advice, in that you have a very complicated society here. You have those that believe in God and those that do not. You have Christians and Muslims and all sorts. So unless and until you are conversant with all, you will simply muddy the waters, bringing ill will and thereby defeat the purpose of the Forum. Because in trying to explain to you the permissability or not of such marriage, one may unwittingly write something that may be highly offensive to an adherent of another religion and you get a flare up.Or that you might make a comment that would ignite senses. It should have been sufficient enough for people that Egypt, will a long history of civilization, permitted the marriage according to whatever laws they have on such matters.

Hazy as it may appear,I am stickn with Ksenior on this.,Thanks also for informing my misinformation about killing and sort,Like the other poster ,I was actually told to my face by a practitioner of a religion ,But I am glad to hear that from a respected person like you.