A 20-year-old bride, Amina Hassan, has been detained by the Adamawa Police Force Command for allegedly setting fire to her husband’s newly built house. The reason was due to his refusal to grant her a divorce.
Prior to her drastic action, Amina had informed her parents that she no longer wanted to go through with the marriage. However, they insisted on proceeding with the wedding ceremony because invitation cards had already been distributed.
Resorting to other means, she sought the help of a native doctor to make her husband despise her and grant her a divorce. The ritual that was performed for her cost N12,000, which she paid through the money earned from her job.
However, instead of the ritual turning her husband’s heart away from her, Amina’s heart further turned away from her husband, leading her to the point of destroying his new house.
Though it’s been ruled as a crime. The event raises concerns about the family and societal pressure placed on young girls in Nigeria, particularly in Northern Nigeria.
Amina’s initial reluctance to marry her husband and desperation to obtain a divorce after the wedding suggests a lack of consent or desire for the marriage pointing to the fact that the marriage shouldn’t have been held in the first place.
Being only 20 years old and seeking the help of a native doctor to influence her husband’s feelings suggests a strong desire in her to achieve her goals (whatever they are) whether through supernatural means.
Presently, the Adamawa police are still on the search for the native doctor who has been allegedly said to have fled Adamawa for Maiduguri in Borno state.
Investigations are still ongoing as she remains in Police custody.
What the story tells us
In Adamawa as with other Northern states, there is limited agency for women in negotiating marital decisions, as Amina’s parents insisted on the wedding despite her expressed reluctance.
When pressures are put on individuals especially young people to proceed with significant decisions such as marriage despite personal reservations, possibly due to societal expectations, family influence, or cultural norms, sometimes leads them to engage in illegal actions or crime.
The bride resorting to supernatural methods to address marital issues also reflects a lack of accessible and effective dispute-resolution mechanisms in northern society.
The case raises questions about the adequacy of legal and support systems for individuals facing challenges in their marriages in Adamawa.
