Reactions have continued to trail the union of a 63-year-old priest who recently married a 12-year-old girl in Ghana.
It was gathered that the marriage ceremony took place on Saturday in Nungua, Ghana, as the man, known as Gborbu Wulomo, Nuumo Borketey Laweh XXXIII, tied the knot with the child, reportedly called Naa Okromo.
According to a guest who endorsed the marriage, the marriage came about due to a longstanding custom mandating that the priest marry a virgin.
He revealed that there are currently no virgin girls in Nungua above the age of nine.
It was learnt that the priest choose her when she was just six years old and now, the girl is expected to take part in a second customary ceremony focused on purification.
The ritual is thought to empower her to carry out responsibilities expected of her as a wife to Gborbu Wulomo, which includes bearing children.
The shrine of Gborbu Wulomo at Nungua in the Greater Accra region defended the marriage, saying: “She is still in school, she does not live with the Gborbu Wulomo. We started the traditional marriage of Naa Yomo Ayemuade (12-year-old) to ward off other men. When she matures, we will have our final rites.”
Meanwhile, it was reported that the ceremony was allegedly necessary “to ensure no man sexually stains her.”
A spokesperson for the temple Nii Bortey Kofi Frankwa II explained the historical and spiritual relevance of the marriage.
“Naa Yomo Ayemuade is a reincarnated woman who lived over 300 years ago and has returned to ensure that the sacred rituals of one of the deities which have not been performed for years can be done, will have to wait until she is mature or she reaches the legal age of marriage and childbirth” to have sexual relations with the child”.
