The Alarming Rise of Christian Girls Forced into Muslim Marriages in Yobe
By TruthNigeria Staff
Jireh David, a bright and ambitious 16-year-old Christian student, had her world turned upside down in May 2019, when she was kidnapped and married off.
A final-year student at a high school in Fika County, Yobe State, Northeast Nigeria, Jireh had big dreams of attending the University of Jos to study nursing. According to her brother, Jireh was also learning tailoring as a skill. Tragically, her future was cruelly snatched away from her.
TruthNigeria has reported about the practice of Christian girls being kidnapped and married off to Muslim men against their will.
According to Zahkute David, Jireh ‘s elder brother, Jireh’s ordeal began in May 2019. As she set out walking to the center where she studied tailoring, an elderly man offered her a ride on his tricycle. Jireh, trusting and naive, accepted the offer. Little did she know that this seemingly kind gesture would prove to be a ruse.
“As she got on the tricycle, I remember her waving at me, smiling,” Zahkute recalled, “But instead of taking her the center the driver made a detour and took her to a house near the Emir’s palace. We didn’t see her again for months.”
“We were frantic with worry. We searched everywhere, asked around, but there was no sign of her. It was as if she had vanished into thin air.”
Months later, in September, Zahkute received a call from Jireh. “Brother, please help me out. I am in Damaturu, and I am in danger. Please,” Jireh begged.
Zahkute, told TruthNigeria that his sister was abducted by a Muslim mob and taken from Fika, her hometown, to Damaturu, where she was forcibly betrothed to one Modu Kaloma. He also explained that Jireh was sexually abused, beaten, and made to submit to Kaloma, whom she had been married to by force.
“It was in that state that she called me,” Zahkute said.
Desperate Rescue
In an interview with TruthNigeria, Zahkute recounted the harrowing experience of rescuing his sister from the clutches of her captors in Damaturu, the Yobe State capital.
After receiving the call from Jireh, he went to Damaturu to locate her. “I was in constant touch with Jireh through phone, and when I got to Damaturu, I waited for two days because they kept her in a house where it was almost impossible for her to communicate with outsiders,” Zahkute explained.
With patience and cunning, Zahkute waited for the perfect moment to strike. “I waited till Kaloma went out on Friday for their Muslim prayers before I sprang her out of the house,” he said.
Zahkute’s bravery paid off, and he was able to rescue Jireh. Together, they fled to their uncle’s house in Fika, hoping to find safety. However, their relief was short-lived.
“We thought we were in safe hands, but during the next 48 hours, a Muslim mob surrounded our uncle’s house and threatened to burn us inside if we didn’t come out,” Zahkute recalled.
“We refused, and then the police stepped in.”
A Nightmare: Zahkute’s Shocking Arrest and Detention
Zahkute thought that the worst was over when the police stepped in to rescue them from the Muslim mob. But little did he know that his ordeal was far from over.
“On getting to the police station, I was arrested and charged with kidnapping a married woman,” Zahkute recounted, “Can you imagine? Kidnapping my own sister?”
He further narrated the shocking events that unfolded at the police station. “When Jireh tried to defend me, the Division Police Officer shouted at her, telling her not to talk. It was like they had already framed me for a crime I didn’t commit.”
Role of Emir of Fika and Dawa’ah Council
The Emir of Fika, a tribal and Islamic ruler of Fika, plays a role in the abductions of underage Christian girls and forcing them to marry Muslims.
After been detained by the police, the Emir of Fika sent a word to my Father, David Maji Salihu, that his daughter had become a Muslim.
“The Emir sent only to inform my father that his daughter would be getting married, and when my father refused, the Emir and some officials of the state government married Jireh off to Kaloma.
Speaking to TruthNigeria, David Maji Salihu said, I did not give my consent, and my daughter was underaged before the purported marriage to Kaloma.
“I want the Federal Government to help me get my daughter back, Salihu said. “Since May 2019 when my daughter was kidnapped, I have not been able to talk or see my daughter.”
According to Salihu, the captors have blocked every avenue that she could use to contact them.
Rev David Ayuba Azzaman, a Kaduna based Christian cleric, tells TruthNigeria that the Yobe State government is funding the kidnapping of Christian girls and marrying them off to Muslims using the Dawa’ah council.
“The Dawa’ah council is a department in the Yobe Ministry of Islamic Affairs. Its primary role is to convert non-Muslims to Islam. However, it is funded by the State Government which is in turn been funded by the Federal Government of Nigeria.
“The Dawa’ah council is responsible for organizing the abductions Cecilia, Jireh and many other girls,” the Christian cleric said.
Over 30 Underaged Christian Girls Kidnapped In Yobe
A local organization, Save Our Girls Initiative, which tracks the kidnapping of Christian girls in Yobe, confirms the widespread nature of this issue. According to Chika Ogo, a representative of the organization, “We have documented over 30 cases of Christian girls who have been kidnapped in Yobe and forcibly married off to Muslims without the consent of their parents.”
Ogo further alleges that the Nigerian Police, the Dawa’ah council, and the Emir of Fika are complicit in these kidnappings, working together to intimidate parents whose children have been taken. “The 30 cases that we have documented are the ones reported to the police and the Emir, but not one of the girls was rescued by the police. The police would, at most times, arrest the parents of the kidnapped girls or the Emir would marry the girls to those Muslims who kidnapped them.”
As a result, Ogo notes that many parents are reluctant to report the kidnappings to the authorities. “This suggests to us that the true extent of the problem may be even greater,” Ogo said. “Most parents do not report the kidnapping of their children to the police, meaning that the widespread kidnapping of Christian girls in Yobe is rampant,” Ogo added.
