Young girls and boys in Bauchi metropolis were caught engaging in "illegal" marriage arrangements with one another, who are ostensibly below the adult age of 18 years, with just N3,000 as bride price.

The supposed wife (name withheld), whom the father said is 18 years old and the "illegal" husband were presented to the Action Committee on Sexual and Gender-Based Violence, chaired by the Wife of the State Governor, Aisha Bala Mohammed, on Thursday, alongside other suspects.

They were apprehended by the state Vigilante and Youth Employment Agency, led by Umar Aliyu Shayi, in partnership with the Bauchi State Police Command.

The wedding guests, the illegal Imam and the underage girl who acted as the bride's mother were all arrested.

While speaking, the Commander of Hisba in the State, Mohammed Bununu, declared the marriage illegal, adding that the bride's father denied knowledge of the exercise.

Bununu said that the state which operates Sharia law won't allow such development and cautioned the families to reactivate Islamic values.

Also speaking, the First Lady attributed the development to poverty, moral decadence and parental failure. She urged the parents to recommit to parental responsibilities and teachings of their religion.

She also attributed the parental failure to uncontrolled family size and abandonment of children at an early stage.