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, said Dominic Mathias.”
Those were the words of Mathias, the Community Development Chairman of Akeddei community in Sagbama Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.
News had broken out on the 26th of December 2023, concerning a four year old girl, allegedly married out to a 54-year-old man in a community called Akeddei. An uproar ensued. Many were aghast at the thought and frowned at it.
How can a four year old girl be sold out to a fifty years old man all in the name of marriage?
Everybody kicked against it. This made this reporter to trace the community, at least to get first hand information despite the fact that it had been reported. The trip was worth it as the girl, the paramount ruler, the CDC chairman, and the supposed husband were all met except the parents of the girl who were said to have gone to the bush when this reporter got there. But, with all the information gotten from others, it was a hugely successful trip. The journey to the community was a very tedious one but, worth it.
As this reporter got to the community, the first person she came in contact with was Dominic Mathias, the CDC chairman who revealed that what transpired was not actually a marriage but a traditional rite to save the life of the four year old girl (Ayebaere) whom he said had been in and out of the hospital all these while.
He said, “Since the Koripamo was performed on the girl, she has been very healthy without any further problem adding that, even the 54 year old Napoleon Akpos has got nothing to do with the little girl.”
CDC Chairman:
Narrating what he knew that happened, Dominic Mathias said “Of a truth this so called marriage is not actually 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, if not they used to do it inside the house.
Narrating the reason behind the Koripamo, he said, “Sometimes when a child is born and she is always sick, although they said we should not put that language but we used to say who wants to buy this baby and somebody will just come to claim that he has bought the baby with may be ten naira or even less to salvage the life of the baby and from that day, the baby will not be sick gain.
“When that baby grows older 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 buy a 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.”
He said that one man from Ozobo tapping palm wine in the community, had promised to do the Koripamo for the girl but the girl rejected him and said that he is from a far place.
Mathias explained, “The man went to the girl’s house because every moment the baby is 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, he said, “One day, this very Akpos went to visit his younger sister that is staying in the same place with the girl’s parents and the girl met the Akpos immediately declared 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. So one day, she told the man to come and pay her bride price and the parents told the man and the girl told the father that they should make it elaborate and cook. The girl told the father that he should do everything in his father’s compound.” Continuing, he stated that the parents told the Akpos and they all put heads together and set up small celebration to satisfy the girl adding that 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 to write undertaking and he did. And they told Akpos not to call the girl (Yare) his wife and he also signed and the matter was settled.”
Akeddei Paramount Ruler Speaks:
The Paramount Ruler of the community, Binabo Moneyman told this reporter that he has already signed an undertaking to that effect adding that it was actually not marriage but, a tradition.
He narrated “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 at all 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 still under the care of the 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. The only thing is that we don’t normally carry it out but according to the parents, 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 the man performed the tradition on her, nothing has happened to the girl again. She is very healthy now, 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.”
The Man In Question Speaks:
His name is Akponanabofa Napoleon. He narrated how he went to the younger sister’s house when the little girl called his name and told him that she was his wife.
“I playfully asked her, so, you are my wife, Okay, I will marry you because every minute she is sick. Every week the parents take 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 play. In our tradition, if somebody is sick, somebody can come out and drop some money to salvage her or him. We are doing all those things. The parents even told me that since that day she said that I’m her husband she is now 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. And I have signed an undertaking that I will not interfere in her life”.
GRIT speaks:
The Gender Response Initiative Team with other NGOs followed up the matter and Barrister Dise Ogbise the Bayelsa State Chairman of GRIT a body set up by Bayelsa State Government to tackle the issue of 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 not only GRIT although 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.”
National Point was informed that the delay in announcing Commissioners in the state may have stalled the intervention of officials of Bayelsa State government in participating and supporting the upkeep of the 4 year old, who has not started nursery school.
A Life Full of Mystery
Dickson Ajobor spoke with National Point when the story of the purported marriage of 4 year old Ayeba broke out in December 2023 and again as we pursued the matter to keep track of the young girl.
Dickson Ajobor Eyemienbai who is Ijaw and works in Human Resource, offers both an Ijaw cultural and Christian perspective. ”The man is not expected in the circumstances, to touch that little innocent girl in terms of conjugal relationship. The Bible is the oldest book in history and acknowledged to be written by inspiration of God the Creator of the Heavens and the Earth and all therein in their kinds and continued to reproduce. Genesis 1:1-28. The latter two quotes refer to creation and not by evolution or by chance.
At Ecclesiastes 9:5-11. The same Bible clearly stated the condition of the dead. While DNA provides data lineage or genealogies, past life or reincarnation beliefs are common with our people. But this is not supported firmly by God’s word the Bible though, not associated with true Christianity. Even though, Jesus Christ existed in spirit form before his birth as a human. Koripamo, custom is not practiced in my Mein clan. But it means, “nurture her up” or bringing a child up to adulthood.
They have to explain, if that Koripamo will not lead to having conjugal relations before the girl attains maturity. Would the girl be in the man’s house or in her parents? Even if she remains in her parents home, formal traditional marriage was conducted and the man would be free to have relations with the girl any time from 12 years. The whole tradition is repugnant and cannot stand, as it is contrary to written law. It’s illegal, whatever name it is given as far as the girl has not attained the age of giving consent on her own”.
Other questions to ask according to Ajobor are, ”Is that koripamo marriage voidable under the tradition without consequences? That if the girl grows up to 16-18, can she change her mind? Or can she freely have relationships with another man without consequences? If the answers are no, then it’s no longer an attempt under their belief to keep her alive”.
Paramount Ruler, Akeddei
Ajobor, also provides further insight into a possible manifestation of reincarnation, through his account of another young girl who also had an early life experience similar to 4 year old Ayebaere Aboma.
”In this case also, the little girl picked on a man and said he was her husband in a past lifetime. The Koripamo ceremony was performed eventually. However, by the time she turned 16, her whole attitude towards the man changed and she eventually married someone else.
These happenings draw attention to issues including different cultural beliefs and rites, the possibility of reincarnation and all the very gray areas of life, which many in the society choose to hush, rather than explore, relying on the dictates of popular religious beliefs rooted in the British colonial experience. These incidents will keep coming up time and again and perhaps in the years to come, more knowledge through research and technological advancement will provide answers to these challenging occurrences.
Scientific advancement in Genomics following the decoding of the human gene in early 2000, have continued to reveal more about the human person and genetic memory stored in the subconscious.
