A father, Uzochukwu Okoli, has been arrested by the Anambra State Government for giving out his underage daughter’s hand in marriage.
This was made known in a statement issued by the Media Aide to the state Commissioner for Women and Social Welfare, Ify Obinabo, on Thursday.
The media aide, Chidimma Ikeanyionwu, said in the statement that Okoli was apprehended after his daughter reported to the state Ministry of Women and Social Welfare about the ill-treatment being meted out to her by her father and the man he forced her to marry.
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According to Ikeanyionwu, the girl, identified as Chioma, who is currently 16 years old, told the ministry that after the death of their mother, their father brought her back from Edo State, where they were going to school to take a husband.
The statement read, “She alleged that she was first forced to live with a 70-year-old man at the age of 14, but after some time, she ran back to her father’s house before he finally gave her out to a 34-year-old Chinedu N. as husband.
“Chioma, who also came with her elder sister, explained that life with the said husband has been a ‘living hell’ because he beats her and sometimes, after beating her, pees in her mouth, and that made her run away with her nine-month-old baby.
“Her father, Uzochukwu Okoli, on the other hand, claimed his daughter is 18 years old and, at some point, said 20 years.
“Okoli, when he was handcuffed, threatened to deal with the daughters if he made it out of prison. He also urged them to pray he dies in prison because he will make life more miserable for them.”
Reacting to the development, Obinabo instructed that the case be charged to court so that the children could get justice.
She used the medium to urge parents to be mindful of their children and direct them properly instead of pushing them into early marriages, which will destroy their lives.
Both Okoli and Chinedu N. were arrested and will be arraigned in court.
Kazeem Badmus is a graduate of Mass Communication with years of experience. A professional in journalism and media writing, Kazeem prioritses accuracy and factual reportage of issues. He is also a dexterous finder of the truth with conscious delivery of unbiased and development oriented stories.
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