Suing Her Father For Attempting To Force Her Into Marriage

According to reports, a woman by the name of Fatima brought her father before a Kaduna State Shari'a Court for forcing her to wed a stranger.

Fatima, 20, said before the court that she loved someone else but that her father, Aliyu Muhammad, had threatened to take her to the village and force an arranged marriage on her.

Malam Bulama, Fatima's legal representative, also informed the court that his client didn't sue her father out of disdain for him.

Bulama said: "The father wants my client to marry a man in their village in Niger state. Right now, she's living in her aunty's house because he threatened to take her to the village and marry her off."

Fatima's father, Aliyu Muhammad, added that he had to respect the fact that his late parents had chosen the man for his daughter before their passing.

"I married my 6 daughters off in the village and they are doing well. Fatima's mother is the brain behind her stubbornness. I need permission to consult with my people over this matter," he said.

Isiyaku Abdulrahman, the judge, ruled that a father has the right, under Shari'a law, to select a marriage for his daughter.

"You are her father, therefore you should allow her to present the person she wants to marry and if you are pleased with his religion and character, you allow her to get married," the court held.

But he pointed out that forced marriage is not advised.