Nigerian Widow Recounts Being Detained For Resisting Daughter’s Forced Marriage To Zamfara Emir’s Ally – saharareporters

Awidow in Zamfara State, Hajia Hafsat Shehu, has accused influential figures linked to the palace of the Emir of Talata Mafara, Dr. Bello Barmo, of using the police, the courts, and threats of imprisonment to pressure her into allowing her daughter to marry a wealthy ally of the Emir against her will.

Allegation Of Orchestrated Intimidation

Speaking in an exclusive interview with SaharaReporters, Hafsat narrated how the ordeal began after her daughter, Maryam, agreed to marry a man she loved, identified as Dr. Sani, only for an influential figure named Alhaji Mu’awiyya Dan Sakai to conspire with family members to hijack the wedding plans.

Hafsat, who hails from Talata Mafara but relocated to Funtua after marriage, said her late husband left her to raise their children alone.

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She explained that Maryam had met and agreed to marry Dr. Sani in line with Islamic customs. His family paid the bride price, and a date was set for the wedding, just 43 days away.

However, a seemingly harmless incident involving Maryam’s younger brother changed everything. Hafsat said a man, Shehu Makaniki, sent his son to drop off the injured boy at her home without seeking permission to enter the house, a breach of cultural protocol.

According to her, that visit became the trigger for a chain of events that saw Maryam’s uncle and Mu’awiyyah exchanging her pictures, leading to his interest in marrying her despite her outright rejection.

She said, “Her wedding was just 43 days away, and we were preparing for it when her younger brother, Abdullahi, got injured. We took him to a chemist for treatment. A man called Shehu Makaniki in Talata Mafara said his son would bring Abdullahi home, and he did.

“However, as an adult male, he was not permitted to enter the house without first seeking permission from the household. He did not seek permission before entering and bringing Abdullahi inside.

“After he left, he went to inform someone named Mu’awiyyah that he had seen a lady who looked like an Arabian woman in Mallam Nasiru’s house, claiming she was exactly the type of wife he was looking for.

“Mu’awiyyah then contacted Maryam’s uncle, saying he had seen a lady from their house whom he wanted to marry. Maryam’s uncle sent her pictures to Mu’awiyyah, and from there, he developed an interest and began planning to marry her.

“They came and told Maryam that Mu’awiyyah wanted to marry her, but she declined his request, saying, ‘God forbid.’ She explained to them that she already had someone she wanted to marry.

“We did not take it seriously since someone had already sought her hand in marriage, and we had planned the wedding with Dr. Sani. From there, Mu’awiyyah and Maryam’s uncle went behind our backs and started planning how Mu’awiyyah could marry her.”

“They came and told me to forget about marrying her to Dr. Sani, claiming that Mu’awiyyah had more money,” Hafsat recalled. “But I told them money is not what I am after. I was more concerned about integrity.”

When persuasion failed, Hafsat claimed the influential camp began isolating her socially, forbidding relatives from speaking to her until she agreed to the marriage. She alleged that Mu’awiyyah even offered N500,000 and promised “heaven and earth” to sway her, but she refused, calling forced marriage “haram.”

The situation escalated when Hafsat received a call warning her that Maryam had already been secretly “married” to Mu’awiyyah at the Emir’s palace, without her consent, Maryam’s consent, or any legal guardian from her side.

In fear of being forced to hand over her daughter, Hafsat and her children fled to Funtua town in Kastina, moving from one community to another during Ramadan, sometimes breaking fast with nothing but sachet water.

“We don’t know who gave her hand in marriage or who collected her dowry (sadaki’). It is not possible for him to claim that I should give my daughter to him just like that, without seeking her hand in marriage and without my daughter’s consent,” she said. “I told them I do not accept such things.”

Mu’awiyyah later approached her, claiming he had abandoned his marriage bid, but Hafsat suspected it was a trap.

She recounted that Mu’awiyyah also proposed that both he and Dr. Sani withdraw their interest and that another neutral person be chosen to marry her daughter — an idea she rejected, even when he offered to find the suitor himself.

“Mu’awiyyah even suggested he would find someone for her to marry, but I told him I did not accept such an offer,” Hafsat said.

“Not long after, she met a man named Ali. They developed an interest in each other, and we immediately set a date for their marriage according to the Islamic way.”

She said, “Maryam married Ali in line with Islamic rites. She later travelled abroad to join him.

“While we were preparing for the wedding, a day before the ceremony, I received a court notice that Alhaji Mu’awiyyah had sued me, claiming that I was marrying off his wife to another man.”

Hafsat insisted Mu’awiyyah had never been married to Maryam.

Arrest And Court Battle

Soon after, Hafsat was arrested by police, three men and one woman, taken to court, and remanded in prison. She alleged that despite presenting evidence, the magistrate refused to hear witnesses, ruling instead in favour of Mu’awiyyah.

She said, “We went to court with our lawyer. One day, when I came back from school, I saw four policemen, three male and one female. I was arrested and detained. The following day, they took me to court, and from there, I was remanded.

“After spending some days in detention, I was granted bail. We continued to attend court hearings and, after the trial, the court gave judgment without calling for witnesses, despite our presenting all the evidence before the magistrate.”

 

“The magistrate did not request any roof from Mu’awiyyah’s side, but because he was a wealthy, the magistrate gave judgment declaring there was a marriage between Maryam and Mu’awiyyah, even though we had proof she never married anyone except Ali,” she said. “They said if we were not satisfied, we should appeal.”

Hafsat took the case to the Katsina High Court, but added that the judgment was the same because Mu’awiyyah “settled” the judge.

The court ordered that Maryam leave her husband, return to her parents’ home, and be taken to Mu’awiyyah.

She alleged that the Katsina court has since refused to release the written judgment nine months after delivering it, which has frustrated her ability to appeal to the Kaduna court.

 

During this time, Hafsat said she continued to receive threats of re-arrest and imprisonment unless she produced Maryam.