Kaduna — For the first time since the news broke about his marriage to a 13-yeard-old Egyptian, Senator Ahmad Sani Yarima has defended his action, saying he is not bound by the provisions of the Child Rights Act
According to the Senate Minority Whip, his home state of Zamfara did not domesticate the law and as such, he cannot be accused of violating its provisions.
But Abuja where the wedding ceremony was held is under federal laws, being the capital city.
The issue has generated controversy across the country with women groups condemning his action. The Senate has ordered an investigation into the case following a petition sent by rights groups.
Also, the Egyptian Embassy said on Wednesday that its hands were tied since the matter had not been officially reported to it.
However, in an interview with the BBC Hausa Service monitored in Kaduna yesterday, the former governor of Zamfara State said the marriage is his private affair and should not be the concern of others.
While not denying that he married her, he stated that the claim that she is 13 years is not true.
"It is true that I got married but it is not true that I married a 13 year old girl. But what I want to say on this issue is, when I was governor, I said on several occasions that Allah (SWT) has made me to take life like any other Muslim. All the things that Allah said we should do and all the things that the Prophet (SAW) said we should do, I have tried to do them.
"I have not done anything that violates Sharia, so I am not bothered about anything if anybody accuses me and I don't think I have committed any offence," he argued.
When asked to specifically state the age of the girl, Yarima declined. Instead, he argued that "there are laws laid down by Allah (SWT) regarding marriage. In my position as a Muslim, I followed all the procedures for marriage in Islam. If I had violated any provision of the law in Islam, I would have been disturbed, the issue of age does not arise."
He blamed his political opponents for his current travail and acknowledged that the girl in question is an Egyptian.
"Yes (she is Egyptian). There are women that Allah (SWT) prohibits us from marrying, there are those he permits us to marry. I married the one Allah permits us (Muslims) to marry. The entire controversy in this marriage, it is the hand work of my political opponents and those against Sharia. (Remember that) I introduced Sharia in Zamfara in 1999."
When asked why he married the girl when he knows that it would generate this controversy, Yarima said: "Anything I want to do, I always ask myself whether Allah prohibits it."
Yarima was the first governor in Nigeria to introduce the Sharia legal system after which a host of other states in the North followed suit. He reportedly married a 15-year-old girl in 2006 and later divorced her to make way for the Egyptian. This would be his fourth wife.
Nigeria adopted the Child Rights Act to domesticate the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 2003. But the law is only effective in states where the Houses of Assemblies have enacted it.
Since then, campaign has been on for states to adopt it in order to protect children. So far, 16 states have adopted it.
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This person is a serving senator,a former governor and an internationally acclaimed religious bigot.At a time when we are advancing the right of the girl child, this monster desecrates our efforts and the federal capital territory with his pedophilia.Let the clown be told that he cannot threaten us with religious warfare ...we have heard it a million times before and died in thousands due to it.You supported death for an alleged adulterer ..why should we not support same for a slave master and child rapist?After all, which is the greater sin.
I personally don't know who this former governor, and now Senator thinks he is. Marriage to an under age child puts him in the same category as a child molester. I would urge the international community to have him on their database as someone unwelcome in any community of the Western world. This man is contributing to the moral, physical and spiritual delinquency of a minor and should be prosecuted as such. This is a violation of the human and civil rights of this child. I would bet you that this sick man is almost five times the age of this child. The Egyptian Government must be sanctioned for promoting child slavery and prostitution. This is the dark legacy of the Muslim religion, and it is not limited only to this poor child. I have known many Afgan people and other Muslims who have complained of this repressive and oppressive rules that govern the disposal of young girls either for money, or because of the burden it places on them to raise a girl. Any religion that would not allow a woman to enter a building by using the same door men use has got to have something wrong with it. Yet, these men are all too eager to have sex with these children.
Any adult population that would sit idly by and allow its children to be abused has got to have something wrong with them. I make no exceptions between the Taliban and the Right Wing religious wackos in the America's Bible belt. These people want the rights of women withdrawn forever. They would like to subjugate women to any of their wild desires. They would want to dictate when, how and what a woman should do with ther bodies. They would legislate, if given a chance, the morality and behaviour of women in public and private places. Usually those who embark on these behaviours are themselves very insecure in their being.
For the senator, there can be no joy in having sex with a child. I am sure the senator has children much older than this child. Can you imagine having a carnal relationship with your daughter? The thought of this alone should make him puke the rest of his God foresaken life. This man should be disqualified from running for any political office anywhere in Nigeria. He should be barred from coming near children, especially girls. He should be labelled a sexual predator. I am not surprised this low life mother f.....ker is responsible for introducing the Sharia in Zamfara State. This shameful law should be overturned in Nigeria, and the Federal Constitution should be seen to be the premier law that seeks to protect the rights of ALL Nigerians. Nigerian should set the legal age to be at least 18 years or older before one could contemplate marriage. The senator should spend some time in jail so as to cool off. These kinds of people, along with the Sudanese president tend to give Africa a bad name and image. How could any intelligent person re-elect Mr. Omar Bashir? Darfurian women have been raped by Bashir's military thugs. The sharia has a lot to do with this because these people feel nothing for women.
While I am on this topic, I might as well include Mr. Jacob Zuma of South Africa. I felt so sorry for this polygamous beast when he travelled the world stage. The mere questions about his exploits threw the world of comedy into a frenzy. The world wanted to know who was the First Lady. Which one of the many wives do you pick to represent South Africa as the First Lady when you travelled? Which one would you pick on your next trip? What example would you be setting for the young generations of South Africans who may see this as a way to go, especially in an environment where AIDS has proven to be rampant and far deadlier than ever contemplated by those who had introduced the virus?
So, it would not matter if you are a senator who likes to have sex with children, a president, a far-right religious wacko or a Taliban............there is a common thread which tends to tie all of you together: You are all insecure, and are control freaks!!!
First of all you DARE to insult islam!! u have no right whatsoever to do such a thing and you should be shamed of yourself!! this peice of rubbish you just wrote only goes to show your lack of maturity and lack of comprehension of the human nature... How many Christians and people of other religions do things in the name of God that are not righteous?? hav u ever though of that? NO! but when a stray muslim speaks, u generalise.. i really pity shallow minded people such as yourself...