SENATOR Ahmad Yerima has again defended his marriage to a 14-year-old Egyptian girl, which sent shockwaves across the globe 13 years ago when it first came to light.
The former Zamfara State governor drew the ire of local human rights groups when reports emerged in 2010 that he had married an alleged 13-year-old foreigner at the national mosque in Abuja.
The outrage prompted a Senate probe — as a sitting senator at the time.
However, Yerima yesterday revealed that his Egyptian bride was older and was in the process of obtaining a master’s degree.
When he objected to her being 13, the former governor was asked if she was 15, to which he replied, “Around that age: 14, 15.”
Yerima criticised the Child Rights Act (2003) and the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act (2015), saying whatever act is passed at the National Assembly has to be domesticated by the state assemblies.
“And once they have not done that, it’s no longer a law,” he added.
The former governor alleged that former President Olusegun Obasanjo “tried to smuggle the Child Rights Act”.
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