A 14-year old girl, Aisha Isah, pictured above, has been arrested by the Niger state police command for allegedly killing her 40-year old husband, Isiaka Usman, who she got married to 5 months ago. According to the Northern City News, Aisha allegedly used a pestle to hit her husband which led to his death at their home in Lifari Village in the Mashegu Local Government Area of the state.
The teenager had been complaining to her family members that since she moved into her deceased husband’s house, he had not provided her with money to eat or for her upkeep and that whenever she asked for money to eat, he would ask her to go and eat at her parent’s house.
On the day of the incident, Aisha had asked her husband for money to eat since he had not given her food for two days and the two of them got into an argument. According to reports, he slapped her and in anger, Aisha picked up a pestle from their kitchen and hit him on the head with it. He collapsed and was rushed to the Mashegu hospital where he later died.
Aisha says she regrets her action as it was never her intention to kill her husband. The state police command says Aisha would be tried in the Juvenile court.
One of the repercussions of forced under-age marriages. Whatever one thinks,the priority is to help this young girl,not in a punitive way, as she acknowledged her act with remorse.Th introduction of a teenager to a precocious and traditional/religious imposed conjugal relationship often inflict psycho-sexual and psycho-social trauma on the person at the receiving end of the wrath.What she needs is to help her undo the damage done and to be rehabilitated in a social environment where she is able to adjust and do those things girls her age do such as education and normal growing up from teenager to adult.