A Child rights advocacy group in Bayelsa, DO Foundation, on Thursday, kicked against the Dec. 26, traditional marriage between a 4-year-old ‘bride’ and a 54- year- old man at Akeddei community in Sagbama Local Government Area of the state.

DO Foundation, in a statement availed to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Yenagoa, described the marriage as illegal, criminal and a child marriage which is against the constitution and the Child Rights Act.

The statement was signed by Mr Elvis Mannie, Bayelsa Chairperson of DO Foundation.

The foundation condemned the child marriage as horrendous, despicable, and a criminal activity.

According to the civil society group, the act is capable of retarding the giant strides made by the government and people of Bayelsa in the area of protection of child rights.”

DO foundation noted that the Child’s Right Law was domesticated in the state in 2016 and is still in force in Bayelsa.

”This law criminalises child marriages and child betrothals prescribing various terms of imprisonment and heavy fines,” the foundation noted.

The foundation called on the Bayelsa government, the Gender Response Initiative Team and all stakeholders in the gender response system to immediately swing into action to respond appropriately.

It urged the security agencies to launch a thorough investigation into the incident, with a view to the protection of the child from sexual exploitation.

The group also demanded the arrest and prosecution of all persons found culpable in this despicable act.

The foundation has launched an investigation into the development aimed at saving the child from the obnoxious situation.

NAN learnt that the marriage between the four-year-old ‘bride’ and the 54-year-old man, simply identified as Elder Akpos, was at the instance of the girl’s parents.

According to a source who does not wish to be named for fear of penalty for desecrating traditions, the parents of the girl claim that the 54-year-old man was her husband in their previous life.

According to community sources, the girl claimed that the man was her husband who died mysteriously in their previous life.

The toddler narrated that over the years, she has been moving from place to place, to be given birth to by different parents, searching for her former husband.

The source said: ”The little bride said if she was not allowed to marry her husband, she would have no other business in Akeddei community, and that she was going to die peacefully and go her way.

“In order to avoid losing the girl to death, the people of Akeddei decided to organise a glamorous wedding ceremony to mark the union of the two previous life lovers.”

https://sahelreporters.com/2023/12/29/foundation-kicks-against-as-54-year-old-man-marries-4-year-old-girl-in-bayelsa/

It's cultural

One mouth, una go dey advocate for African culture with one mouth una go dey castigate am

Wetin una want gangan


🐏

Chisos!! This is the craziest excuse I have ever heard in justification of peadophilia! That 70 yrs old he-goat is no one's husband reincarnate, but a devil incarnate! Pikin wen never learn to pronounce papa & mama finish, open mouth talk all dis wan?? Bunch of lying @$s kid diddlers, that child should be taken real far-far away from that whole community, they're all lunatics there!

Nigerian men to like to dey fvck babies and toddlers. Mothers, hold your children tight. These men are not humans, but their father’s, the devil’s seed, right from the garden of Eden. They will be gathered as tares and thrown right into the fire prepared for them. There is no salvation for them as their seed has been corrupted right from time immemorial and they can do no good. Evil is all they know.

Disgusting!

I thought acts like this were limited to a certain region. Lol

This is paedophilia.

Bayelsa o Bayelsa.

MadamExcellency:
The adopted daughter you are calling marriage.

Smh.

Wait until you get to Bayelsa and most parts of SS and SE then you will see that Southern Nigeria is not much different from Northern Nigeria in terms of child bride marriage

The adopted daughter you are calling marriage. The man may be dead before the baby finishes school.

Is the man and the 4 years old girl parents sane at all?

Where's the picture? Because photo adds credibility to news story

U mean 14yrs old or 4/four year old?

nlfpmod please come see this abomination

https://sunnewsonline.com/54-year-old-man-marries-4-year-old-girl-in-bayelsa/

https://dailytrust.com/group-kicks-as-54-yr-old-marries-four-yr-old-girl-in-bayelsa/

NoSmoking:
It's cultural

One mouth, una go dey advocate for African culture with one mouth una go dey castigate am

Wetin una want gangan


🐏

Paedophilia is what you defend? Cradle robber!

Female Genital Mutilation, killing of twins, human sacrifice, slavery, and cannibalism used to be cultural things so why stop them?

Culture is nothing if it's not dynamic in part or whole.