A humanitarian group, the Stefanus Foundation has called on the government and Law Enforcement Agencies to rise up to their responsibilities and ensure the protection and emancipation of young Christian girls who are being forcefully abducted, married off and converted to other religions.
The group who made the call at a Media engagement in Abuja expressed worry that forceful marriages of underaged girls have continued unabated in Northern Nigeria 30 years after the 1995 Beijing conference without the culprits being brought to book.
Jonathan Yohanna an uncle to Godiya Musa and Godiya’s traumatized mother Rahella Musa sharing the family’s agony since their daughter got missing only to later discover that she has been married off to a Muslim boy without the consent of the parents.
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Like Godiya Musa, several underaged innocent young girls in Northern Nigeria have over the years been so married off and converted to other religions against their will thereby crumbling the prospects of the future leaders who end up dropping out of school.
Worried by this violation of human and child rights act, this group is again calling on government and law enforcement agencies to timely intervene, unmask the culprits and reunite the girls to their families.
To them, efforts must be intensified at developing the potentials of young women to enable them contribute to National growth and Development.
(Editor : Ena Agbanoma)
