The father of a 13-year-old girl who was allegedly gang-defiled by four youths has finally succumbed to the bizarre request of one of the assailants who controversially sought the hand of the victim in marriage.
Kano State Hisbah Board’s Dala Command had last month arrested four youths over the allegation that they gang-defiled a 13-year-old girl (name with held) at Tudun Rubudi, Ungogo local government in Kano State. Sani Isa, Usaini Ja’afar, Jamilu Sani and Isa Musa were all found Unclad at an uncompleted building shortly after they forcefully had carnal knowledge of the girl, according to eyewitness accounts.
After interrogation, Hisbah officials said, three of the suspects confessed that they had actually defiled her after one of them had lured her where the assault took place. But mild drama ensued when Ja’afar was facing the Hisbah’s interrogation and he pleaded to marry the girl, begging her father to give his blessings.
Weekly Trust spoke with the father of the victim, Malam Ya’u, who agreed reluctantly to speak.
“We were searching for the whereabouts of my daughter when we received the sad news. Being a mechanic, I was at my garage when the Hisbah called me. I couldn’t believe what I heard,” he said.
Malam Ya’u said he felt cheated, thus his desire to go to court. “But when all of them showed remorse, especially the one pleading to marry her, Ja’afar, I decided to temper justice with mercy,” he said.
To show he was serious about his marriage proposal, Ja’afar has since introduced his family to that of his victim, according to the girl’s father.
“He came with his uncle, who it turned out I already knew and had a cordial relationship with,” Malam Ya’u told Weekly Trust. “So I accepted the request and will marry her off to him. In fact, the date for the wedding has been fixed since. I decided to allow him marry the girl because our consultations with our Malams (Islamic clerics) showed that there is nothing wrong about that,” Malam Ya’u said.
He added that he’ll accept Ja’afar as son-in-law wholeheartedly, even after initially rejecting the proposal, considering the gravity of the offence that the alleged rapists committed. Ya’u said: “After pleas from all angles, I succumbed.
However, we haven’t taken chances, ensuring she undergo medical tests. Results have shown that she’s OK.”
Ya’u also had a meeting with Ja’afar, his future son-in-law. “I told him the implication of what he’s done and advised him to become a more responsible person who would be useful to himself and society,” he said.
Kano-based Islamic scholar Sheikh Fadlu Dan Almajiri Fagge has said that Islam does not have any quarrel with a rapist marrying his victim, provided certain conditions are met. “First, the girl has to observe Istibira’i, a month period to ensure absence of pregnancy. The girl should not also be among those prohibited for the rapist. Provided those conditions are met, marriage can take place with the consent of the girl and her parents.”
But while he said the sin of committing zina (adultery) and its punishment would be there for the rapist, “That cannot stop the marriage.”