An Islamic Cleric in Ondo State has been stopped by a family court in Akure from marrying a 16yr old girl as his 9th wife.
The young secondary school pupil was reunited with her parents after the court stopped the forced marriage to Islamic Cleric identified as Alhaji Yusuf Lateef.
The court presided over by Justice Aderemi Adegoroye also warned Lateef to stay away from the girl and her family. He had been pressuring the family to marry the girl since 2019 when she was 15.
The young girl’s family gave in to the request of Lateef and forced her to accept his proposal, picking a date for marriage thereafter.
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On the proposed day of the wedding, the young girl fled their family home in Ore to Akure with the help and support of her brother.
She thereafter contacted the Ministry of Women Affairs and social development.
The officials at the ministry sheltered her and started the legal process to stop the forced marriage between the underage girl and the Islamic Cleric.
The family of the girl were arraigned alongside Alhaji Lateef for breaching section 3 of the 2007 Ondo State Child Rights Law.
The court ruled that the girl be returned to her parents and Lateef was to sign an undertaking never to make contact with the girl and her family. He was warned to also ensure her safety.