The parents and relatives of the four-year-old girl, who was reportedly “married” to a 54-year-old man in the riverside settlement of Akeddei in Sagbama Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, have received interim assistance from the state government through the Gender Response Initiative Team (GRIT) regarding the alleged child marriage.

The state government team is made up of the Chairman of the Gender Response Initiative Team (GRiT), Dr Dise Ogbise, the Bayelsa State Coordinator of the Child Protection Network, Kizito Andah, CPN and the Bayelsa State Chairman of BANGOF, Taritei Boco, DO Foundation, NAWOJ, other non-governmental organisation, NGOs, the National Human Rights Commission and Civil Society Groups, CSOs.

According to Vanguard, the team heard the submissions from the father of the four-year-old, Elder Morris Aboma, the alleged husband, Akpos Napoleon, and the paramount ruler, Chief Moneyman Binabo.

In their separate submissions before the team of experts, they all insisted that the purported child marriage was a traditional practice termed “Koripamo” to save the little girl’s life.

They noted that whenever the traditional rite of “Koripamo” was conducted the man who paid the “token” was not required to take her as a wife nor would he stop her from marrying any man of her choice when she was up to the age of marriage.

He said that this could be done on a boy child or girl child.

The father of the four-year-old, Elder Morris Aboma, who spoke in his Ijaw vernacular, said her daughter was always sick to the point of death, adding that according to Akeddei tradition, the only way to save her life was for a man to pay a symbolic and save the child’s life and that if has nothing to do with a real marriage.

The 54-year-old groom said that “As it is now I’m regretting doing all I did just to save the child’s life as she’s no longer sick again and such tradition has been going on but it has not been celebrated to the extent of hiring canopy, sound system and cooking of food.

“But since she says if I don’t do what she says she will die I have to look for money and do it since it involves life. As it is, I am frustrated by this whole issue.”

The paramount ruler of Akeddei community, HRH Moneyman Binabo, said he heard of a marriage in the community during the Christmas festivities but did not have full details not until the DPO of Sagbama Police Station asked him to produce those that got married in the community.

Binabo further said he had to invite the parents of the little girl to get detailed information on what happened on the 27th of December and the parents told him that the little girl had been sick and that one Akpos Napoleon had to drop a symbolic amount “to save the life of the little girl adding that what happened in the Akeddei community was not a formal marriage but a fulfillment of a cultural practice.”