Child Bride Forced Into Marriage Poisons Groom
A child bride in Nigeria has allegedly killed her new husband and at least three of his friends. Police said Thursday that the 14-year-old child bride laced her new groom’s food with poison before serving him and his friends.
According to ABC News, 14-year-old Wasila Umaru was married last week to 35-year-old Umaru Sani. Sani reportedly invited a dozen or so friends to his Ungwar Yansoro village to celebrate the new marriage. It was during this get together that the child bride’s groom fell ill, along with a few of his guests.
USA Today reported that Wasila confessed to police saying that she poisoned her groom because she was forced into a marriage with a man that she did not love.
“The suspect confessed to committing the crime and said she did it because she was forced to marry a man she did not love,” said superintendent Musa Magaji Majia.
Police say that the child bride admit to purchasing rat poison at a village market and then using it to lace the food that she served to her groom and his friends. Reports state that the groom and one of his friends both died from the rat poison the day they ingested it. Two others died later while being treated at the hospital. Police stated that others fell ill from eating the poisoned food, though they were treated and soon released from the hospital.
Child brides are not uncommon in Nigeria. According to ABC News, child marriages are especially common in the mainly Muslim and impoverished north. The U.N. children’s agency reportedly states that 50 percent of Nigerian girls living in rural areas are married before they turn 18. Many find the idea of child marriages rather disturbing, just check out these Twitter responses to Wasila Umaru’s actions:
@AP I’m tempted to cheer for her
— Mom The Pirate (@mom_the_pirate) April 10, 2014
“@AP: Police say a child bride forced into marriage in Nigeria prepared poisoned meal, killed her groom, 3 others:” good for her
— Sarcastic Mommy (@SarcasticSprkle) April 10, 2014
@AP can u blame her?
— ure_too_close (@ure_too_close) April 10, 2014
I ain’t even mad at her MT @AP a child bride forced into marriage in Nigeria prepared a poisoned meal, killed groom http://t.co/ODxA71S3un
— Lars Thomsen (@SirLDot) April 10, 2014
@ABC – this child is the victim of circumstance. She needs support not condemnation. http://t.co/3QybgZL10j
— Ilana Stankler (@TheCPDiary) April 10, 2014
@ABC I don’t know if it is karma or ironic. Good for her???!!?! I just do t know.
— Matt Beddoe (@mlbeddoe) April 10, 2014
“@Channels_TV: Child Bride Poisons Husband, 3 Others In Kano http://t.co/ikDehL1Q2l“They’re corpse shld be arrested for child abuse.
— Abby Lincoln (@Lizabs68) April 10, 2014
“@RYOTnews: Child bride forced into marriage poisons her groom and 3 of his friends: http://t.co/20YRuo7wpt” Feel both sad and happy for her
— Sofia Fuentes Grape (@SofiaFGrape) April 10, 2014
Police say that the child bride is cooperating with police during the investigation and according to USA Today, she will likely be charged with culpable homicide.
[Image via Shutterstock/Andrei Kuzmik]
