[Niger State] 17year old Girl forced Into Marriage escapes To Education Ministry

A 17-year-old girl who was allegedly forced into marriage by her parents has absconded from the husband’s house and taken refuge at the Niger State Ministry of Education.

LEADERSHIP gathered that the dream of the girl, a native of Agaie local government who was in Senior Secondary two (SS2) before the forced marriage was to complete her education but her parents thought differently and insisted that she gets married, a situation which made the lady to seek refuge at the ministry immediately she was forced to the husband’s home.

The state commissioner of Education, Danladi Umar Abdulhameed, told us that the girl has been made to go back to the Emir of Agaie’s palace for the government to properly intervene.

“The girl as a priority has to go back to school. We are not against marriage but education is first for any child,” the commissioner declared, stating that the girl who is a student of Government Girls Secondary School, Agaie, has been handed over to the Emir and the parents have been warned not to force the girl into marriage against her wish.

He stated that the plan of the government was to take full responsibility of the lady’s education and ensure that nobody stops her dream in line with the girl-child education programme of the state government.

Abdulhameed said it was criminal and inhuman for parents to withdraw children from school as well as deny them the opportunity to go school, adding that the state has passed into law necessary provisions to prosecute parents who deny their children access to education.

While saying that by the state’s free education programme lack of fund is not an excuse for children to be withdrawn from school, he advised parents to ensure that their children key into the free education programme. leadership