ENUGU GOVERNMENT ARRESTS SUSPECTS OVER ILLEGAL UNDERAGED MARRIAGE

Enugu State Government has confirmed the arrest of several people involved in the illegal marriage of a 13-year-old girl in the Amufie community of Enugu Ezike, Igbo-Eze North. Those detained include the teenage bride’s parents, the groom, his parents, and a native doctor who acted as matchmaker.
The Commissioner for Gender, Women and Children Affairs, Ngozi Eni, said the arrests followed the group’s refusal to honour an invitation from the ministry after videos of the underage marriage went viral.
Eni said the government intervened after it was established that the marriage already consummated was forced on the minor, who had never attended school. Amarachi is now under state protection, along with a two-year-old found during the operation.
The Commissioner said all suspects have been handed over to security agencies, and the marriage will be annulled.