Outrage as 54-year-old Akpos marries 4-year-old girl in Bayelsa

A child rights advocacy organisation, Do Foundation, has criticised a 54-year-old man named Elder Akpos for marrying a four-year-old girl in the Akeddei community, located in the Sagbama Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.

The traditional marriage occurred on Tuesday, December 26, with the approval of the girl's parents.

Community sources revealed that the girl asserted that the man was her husband from a previous life who had died mysteriously, and she had been searching for him across various locations over the years.

The source, as quoted by Daily Trust, said:

“The little bride said if she was not allowed to marry her husband, she would have no other business in Akeddei community, and that she was going to die peacefully. In order to avoid losing the girl, the people of Akeddei decided to organise a glamorous wedding ceremony to mark the union of the two previous life lovers.”

In response to the purported "marriage," the advocacy organisation characterised the union as unlawful, criminal, and constituting child marriage, asserting that it violates both the Constitution and the Child Rights Act.

The foundation, represented by its chairperson in Bayelsa State, Elvis Mannie, acknowledged the situation in a statement and affirmed initiating an inquiry to address the matter, expressing the Foundation's commitment to intervening and safeguarding the well-being of the children involved.

Mannie stated:

“The foundation describes the said child marriage as horrendous and despicable, and a criminal activity capable of retarding the giant strides made by the government and people of Bayelsa State in the area of protection of child rights.”

The Child’s Rights Law, enacted in 2016 and still applicable in Bayelsa State, criminalises child marriages and betrothals.

The foundation emphasised the need for a comprehensive inquiry into the recent incident, urging the Bayelsa State government, the Gender Response Initiative Team, and all stakeholders in the Gender Response system, including security agencies, to investigate thoroughly.

The objective is to safeguard the child from sexual exploitation and to apprehend and prosecute those responsible for the reprehensible event.

The police in Bayelsa State have already initiated an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the marriage, following the directive of the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Alonyenu Francis Idu.