15-year-old bride arrested on accuse say she poison her husband on dia wedding night
Police don detain one 15-year-old girl for Albasu village for Jahun Local Goment Area of Jigawa State, northern Nigeria on di accuse say she try to kill her husband and im friends by putting poison for dia food.
Di poison allegedly kill one of di groom friends, wey bin dey plan naming ceremony for im new twins.
For interview wit BBC Pidgin, di groom wey be 34 years old, wey escape death, beg di authorities to find justice for dem.
E tok say im and di bride bin don dey date for two years bifor dem marry for Friday, December 20, 2024 for dia village Bakata for Kiyawa Local Goment Area, Jigawa State.
Normally, di groom suppose spend di first night wit di bride, but e bin say e no wan go dat night.
"Sunday night, afta dem carry di bride come. My late friend and di oda one tok say make I go spend night wit my bride, but I tell dem say I no wan go dat night," e tok.
Di groom explain say e bin dey tailor shop wit him friends wen di bride friends bring di food come.
"Around 10:00PM we dey tailor shop wey belong to my friend. Na so her friends waka bring food —jollof noodles wit meat. As we start to dey chop am, we notice say sometin dey strange for di food, so we stop dey chop.
My late friend begin dey complain say im belle dey pain am. Me too, I begin dey feel pain for my belly. We find milk drink but e no work. Later, dem rush us go Kiyawa hospital, but my friend no make am."
Di groom say e shock say dis kain tin happun becos dem love each oda bifor dem marry.
"Na love marriage we do, but na destiny and immaturity as small girl cause dis," e tok.
"We dey sad say we lose person, but she still be my wife sake of say I don pay her dowry," di groom add.
Di oda friend wey survive, describe dia late friend as a good man and close friend.
E tok say di incident happun di day before im twins naming ceremony.
"E meet us for tailor shop as usual after e return from market wia e buy baby tins for di twins naming ceremony wey dem plan for di next day.
Na so di bride friends waka come bring food say na di bride send dem. As we start to chop, we notice sometin strange inside di food and we stop. Dem rush us go hospital, but our friend no survive," e tok.
E add say, "dem don cheat me by killing my best friend, good person. Now, I dey alone, and I no dey enjoy my tailoring work again. We need justice."
Di late man papa, tok say im son na religious man wey dey take care of im parents.
"Na di only son I get, and na im dey provide food for us. Now dem don kill am, leave me wit im small pikin and di newborn twins.
Abeg, make una help us find justice because I no know wetin I go do now." im papa tok.
Di villagers confirm say di bride don dey for police headquarters for Dutse, Jigawa State, for investigation.
Jigawa police spokesperson, Lawan Shiisu, confirm di incident to journalists say:
One 15yrs girl of Bagata Gabas village "conspire with her ex-lover, wey be 22yrs of Bagata Gabas Yamma village, for Kiyawa LGA, to poison her husband food, wey be 29yrs of Albasu village, Jahun LGA.
Di husband and im two friends eat di food together, and as a result, dem develop stomach-aches.
Dem rush di victims go hospital, where one of di groom friends dey confirmed dead by di medical doctor on call. Di case dey under investigation."
Nigeria law on child marriage
Nigeria law dey complicated wen e come to di issue of child marriage.
Di kontri get four different legal systems – English law, Common Law, Customary Law and Sharia Law.
Di Sharia Law or Islamic Law like im name suggest na from di Islam religion.
All of dis legal systems get dia power from di Nigeria Constitution wey be di Supreme binding force for every authority for di kontri.
Muslims dey follow di practice of Prophet Mohammed wey marry Aishah wen she be dey six years, consummate di marriage wen she turn nine years.
For di Nigeria Constitution though, di mata no straight. Di Federal Child Rights Act (2003), say na taboo to marry below di age of 18 years.
While Nigeria goment na signatory of dis UN Act and dem ratify am for dia federal law, according to Nigeria law, for any international act to dey binding on im pipo, di National Assembly go ratify am, den di 36 State Assembly go domesticate am for dia state.
And no be all states don domesticate am.
Not all states for northern Nigeria don stamp di Child's Rights Act (CRA) of 2003:
Di CRA don face challenges of enactment for northern states, sake of cultural and religious practices.
So as di CRA ban child marriage, other laws make exceptions. Child marriage common for some northern states, where Islam na di dominant religion.
