A 60-year-old man Aminu Danmaliki has broken his silence on the rumour that he married an 11-year-old girl in Kano State.
A video of the wedding went viral on social media recently. The bride’s young look got many accusing Mr Danmaliki of marrying a minor. His critics said that underage girls should be protected rather than married off.
However, Danmaliki said in a statement shared on Facebook on Wednesday that his wife is 21 years old and not 11 years as people claimed on social media.
He said, “My recent marriage with Sakina has generated a lot of tension and unfounded allegations that I married an underage girl some suggesting she is 11 years old and that she was forced to marry me. That is untrue. The Wedding Video went viral.
“We decided to keep mute but was advised to state the true facts, here it is: My beloved wife is 21 years old she made her own choice of me as her husband and I loved her too.
“I hope the blackmailers and doubting Thomas’s (sic) will see the reality in this picture and leave us alone to enjoy our honeymoon.”
In the comment section of his post, many defended him while only a few criticised him.
Emmanuel Eche-Ofun John wrote, “Happy married life to you both. Please, don’t hurt her, she looks too fragile.”
A lady Jameelat Suraj wrote, “I see nothing here. Everyone has his own perspectives. To me I prefer elderly men than younger ones.”
On Twitter, President Muhammadu Buhari’s media aide Bashir Ahmad reacted to the statement, saying “Coming out to state the facts is very, very important.”
