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The Enugu State Government has announced the arrest and detentio of the parents of a teenage bride, the parents of the groom, the groom himself and a matchmaker over the controversial underage marriage involving a girl identified as Amarachi in Amufie community, Enugu Ezike in Igbo-Eze North Local Government Area.
Commissioner for Gender, Women and Children Affairs, Hon. Ngozi Eni, said the arrests followed the refusal of the parties to honour an invitation from her ministry after videos of the illegal marriage went viral on social media.
Eni said the government was compelled to act when it became clear that the marriage, already consummated, involved a minor (13-year-old) who had neither given consent nor understood the implications of marriage.
“We invited them to the ministry to explain why a child was given out in marriage, but they refused to come. Their refusal suggested complicity, so we initiated their arrest,” she said.
Those now in custody include the groom’s parents and a native doctor, Mrs Patience, who acted as matchmaker.
According to the commissioner, the matchmaker claimed ignorance of the law criminalising child marriage.
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Amarachi, now under state protection, told ministry officials she was forced into the union and had never been to school.
The groom’s mother reportedly justified the action on the grounds that her son is an only child, but went silent when confronted with the illegality of marrying off a minor.
Eni said the ministry’s legal team briefed the detained persons on the Child Rights Law, including penalties for early marriage, while senior officials educated them on gender-based violence and the severe health risks associated with early marriage, such as VVF, cervical cancer and psychological trauma.
The commissioner said all suspects had been handed over to security agencies for further investigation, while Amarachi and a two-year-old baby found during the operation, whose mother is yet to be determined, were taken into protective custody.
She assured that the state would rehabilitate and educate Amarachi, adding that the marriage would be formally nullified.
Eni also commended the swift support of the Chairman of Igbo-Eze North LGA, Hon. Ogalla, the constituency’s House of Assembly member and the Chairman of the Enugu State Civil Service Commission in ensuring the successful intervention.
