Kabir Marafa, senator
representing Zamfara central, says female senators have been silent over the
plight of their “sisters” in his state but they protested when Ahmed Yerima, a
former governor of the state, married an underage girl.
Yerima’s marriage to a
13-year-old girl in 2010 drew widespread criticisms. Human rights organisations
had said the senator broke the law and should be arrested.
Marafa while contributing to a
debate on a motion to commemorate children’s day on Thursday, said there is an
estimated 5,000 cases of rape in state.
“I expect the women especially of
this senate to stand up shoulder to shoulder with women in Zamfara state,” he
said.
“A situation was raised where a
commissioner’s wife and her 6 children were kidnapped in their house and there
days into the journey nobody knows where she is.
“This caught the attention of the
media and everybody because it is a commissioner’s wife. But the issue of
kidnapping is a daily thing in Zamfara state today. There is an estimated 5000
victims of rape and we have said it in this chamber but up till now, the women
have not stood up to say enough is enough of this very bad incident.
“Whereas in the 6th assembly when
my colleague and my leader, Senator Ahmed Yerima fulfilled one of his religious
rites by marrying a lady with the consent of her parents almost whole of this chamber
was pulled upside down.
“That he married an underage
which is nobody’s business in anyway because her parents’ consent to the
marriage and Yerima is a Muslim and he married the girl according to Muslim
rites. But so much noise was made in this country to the extent that they staged
a protest on the streets of Abuja.”
The senator said the children in
Zamfara have right to life.
“You are talking of child’s
rights; we in Zamfara are talking of Child’s survival. I want to see you stand
up to say the children of Zamfara have the right to survive. There is
humanitarian crisis in Zamfara,” Marafa said.
Moving the motion earlier, Binta
Garba, senator representing Adamawa north, expressed worry over the country’s
high infant mortality rate.
“Nigeria is the second largest
contributor to the under-five and maternal mortality rate in the world. The
National Health act, 2014, all pregnant women, the elderly, the disabled and
children are to be exempted from paying for services in public hospitals,” she
said.
Thereafter, the senate urged the
federal government to hasten the rescue of Leah Sharibu, Dapchi schoolgirl in
captivity, and the remaining 112 Chibok girls.
The upper legislative chamber
also asked the federal government to establish a fund that would take care of
children in states where insecurity is prevalent.
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