Truth Behind 4-Yr-Old’s Marriage

A few weeks ago, there was outrage in the media over the story of a four-year-old girl that was married out to a 54-year-old man in Akeddei community in Sagbama Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.
National Point visited the community to follow developments and capture the mood of the people following the widespread reports about the issue. One of the first people to speak to National Point on the issue, Mr. Dominic Matthias, the Chairman of the community’s development committee. “The girl in question is very healthy now and she is moving around the community without any problem. Since the Koripamo Tradition was performed on her, she has been very healthy,” Matthias said.
National Point also met and spoke with the child bride, the paramount ruler, the CDC chairman and the groom. The parents of the child bride were not at home during the visit. They were said to have gone to the bush during the visit.
The journey to the community was quite tedious but worth it. The first respondent, Mathias, the CDC chairman, revealed that contrary to what was widely reported in the media, what happened was not a real marriage but a traditional rite to save the life of the four years old girl (Iyare) who he said had been sick and had been in and out of the hospital all this while.
He said since the Koripamo was performed on the girl, she has been very healthy without further problem. He explained that Napoleon Akpos, the supposed 54-year-old groom had nothing to do with the little girl.
Narrating what happened, the CDC chairman said, “Of a truth this so-called marriage is not actually a marriage. In our tradition, we call it Koripamo to salvage the life of the child. It is not really marriage even though this one has happened like this. It came openly and because of the Christmas celebration, that was why people got to know about it. Otherwise, they used to do it inside the house.”
Narrating what the Koripamo is all about, Matthias said, “Sometimes when a child is born and she is always sick (although they said we should not use that language), we used to ask ‘who wants to buy this baby.’ And somebody will just come to claim that he has bought the baby with maybe ten naira or even less to salvage the life of the baby and from that day, the baby would not be sick gain.
“When that baby grows old and wants to marry, she will get married, if it is a male child a woman can come and claim that she has married him and the boy will not be sick again until he grows and gets married.
“But when the girl wants to marry, the family of the girl will remember the man that saved the girl’s life and buy like drink for him. So, this one is also the same thing that happened. It is a mystery. If not, how can that small girl of four years do that?”
Matthias said that a palm wine tapper from Ozobo had promised to do the Koripamo for the girl but the girl rejected him because he was from a distant place.
“The man went to the girl’s house because every moment the baby fell sick and he told the girl that he has married her and he dropped twenty naira but the girl rejected the man by telling the parents that she won’t marry the man because he is from a far place.
Narrating the story of Akpos and how he came into the picture, the CDC chairman said, “One day, this very Akpos went to visit his younger sister that is staying in the same place with the girl’s parents. The girl met the Akpos and immediately told him that he is her husband.
“She told the mother to also dish food for the Akpos as the husband. And since that day till now she has not been sick again,” Matthias narrated.
He explained that one day, the little girl asked the man to visit her parents and pay money for her price. When he went, the girls’ parents confirmed that the girl had told her father that they should make the ceremony an elaborate one.
The girl is staying with her mother she wanted everything to be done in her father’s compound, said Matthias. After this, the girl’s parents and Akpos met and set up a small celebration to satisfy the girl’s wish.
“People just posted the information out without getting the real information. The event is called Koripamo in our tradition. So because of this, we were called to write undertaking that when she wants to marry, nobody should disturb her. When the girl wants to marry she will marry anybody that she likes nothing concerns the man.
“After, they told our highness (paramount ruler) to write an undertaking to that, and he did. And they told Akpos not to call the girl (Yare) his wife and he also signed and the matter has been settled,” the CDC chairman said.
King of Akeddei Speaks: The paramount ruler of Akeddei, HRH Binabo Moneyman, also spoke on the saga. He told this reporter that he has already signed an undertaking to that effect adding that it was not actually marriage but a tradition.
He said, “We were invited and they asked me to write an undertaking. The man in question has no part to play in the girl’s life or in the marriage of the girl. The man just fulfilled the culture of bringing her back to life. And that is our culture.
“Sometimes some children always disturb the parents and we will look for somebody to drop anything in order to keep the child alive. And that is why they asked me and I told them that it is not marriage but a traditional practice. The person that sent that thing out made a very big mistake. It is called Koripamo in our language allowing the person to bring the child up and that is the kind of ceremony we did; not the actual marriage.
“She is not going to live with the man. The girl is even under the care of her parents. The man has nothing to do in her life and he knows that he doesn’t have any role to play in the girl’s life. Our fathers have been doing it; bringing people to life in that condition and it has been working.”
King Moneyman said it was not normal that elaborate ceremonies are carried out to celebrate the rite. But the parents said the child asked them to make it open. “I don’t know why such a small girl decided to take that kind of decision.”
Since December to now nothing has happened to her. Let the government take care of the girl that is the only thing I will ask.”
Akpos speaks:
Akpos, the man at the centre of the controversy narrated how the whole story started to National Point. He said he had visited his younger sister’s home when the little girl called out his name and told him that she was his wife.
He said, “I playfully asked her, ‘So, you are my wife?’ Okay, I will marry you because every minute she is sick. Every week the parent took her to the hospital. We ended the discussion until one day she saw me on the road and held my hand and told me to come and pay her bride price. And I went to her parents to tell them what the girl said and they confirmed that she has been saying all those things about me.
“We took it as a joke. In our tradition, if somebody is sick somebody can come out and drop some money to salvage him or her. The parents even told me that since that day she said that I’m her husband she has been well, that I should go and hold her life. I just carried small money with my friends to go and do the tradition and I told her not to be sick again and she said she will not be sick again.”
Akpos confirmed that he had signed an undertaking not to interfere in her life after that.
GRIT speaks:
The Gender Response Initiative Team (GRIT) with other NGOs followed up the matter. Ms. Dise Ogbise, Bayelsa State Chairman of GRIT, a body set up by Bayelsa State Government to tackle child molestation and abuse told this reporter that the community has apologized and promised not to dabble into the girl’s affairs even as she grows up.
She said, “We actually met with them; not only us, NGOs and others. It was GRIT that invited them and they came and they narrated their part that it was just a tradition that was done. “I think you saw the girl. She was with her parents. So, what they did was to apologize to Bayelsa State Government for the embarrassment caused. They said that it was just a mix-up of words; that it was Koripamo tradition; not marriage and that the child is safe.
“We also did a medical examination on the child and she was intact, she has not been sexually abused and the Akpos signed, so all of them have withdrawn. There was an undertaking to that effect, so all the NGOs involved have been informed. The final update is for the ministry of Women Affairs to close the case.”