The parents of a four-year-old girl and the 54-year-old man who are allegedly married in the Akeddei community of the Sagbama Local Government Area of the state have been invited by the Bayelsa State Government.
The illegal marriage based on tradition and customs was deemed repugnant to natural justice, equity, and good conscience by the state government, which also expressed disapproval of the development through the State Gender Response Initiative Team (GRIT) and the Ministry of Women Affairs, Children, and Social Development.
It had previously been reported that a large number of Bayelsa State-based child rights advocacy groups protested last Thursday’s traditional marriage of a four-year-old girl to a 54-year-old man in the Akeddei community of the Sagbama Local Government Area.
Child rights advocacy groups characterised the marriage as unlawful, criminal, and child marriage, in violation of both the Child Rights Act and the Constitution.
The State Human Rights Commission, the 54-year-old man who is the chairman of the GRIT, Mr. Panebi Jacob, the ministry’s director of child development, and the traditional ruler of the Akeddei community all pledged in a statement released on Saturday to produce the child, along with her parents, the youth leader, and the chairman of the Community Development Committee (CDC), after the traditional ruler accepted the government’s invitation.
The government of Bayelsa State stated in the statement that it opposes child marriage in all its forms.
For this reason, the state administration endorsed the enactment of the Bayelsa State Child Rights Law without hesitation.
We are acting to free the child from the custody of all those involved in this unlawful ceremony, which they have labelled as a “mere spiritual affair.”
“We will ensure that incidents like this do not occur in the state again by working with the Bayelsa State police command. The law is clear on issues of tradition and customs that are repugnant to natural justice, equity, and good conscience.”
“We would want to thank all the non-governmental groups, such as Fida and DO Foundation, that came to the aid of this helpless youngster on behalf of the Governor of Bayelsa State. The statement said, “This case will be pursued to a logical conclusion and Bayelsa State is child-friendly.”
