According to local media, a 20-year-old woman in northern Nigeria has sued her father for forcing her to marry a stranger.
Fatima Aliyu’s lawyer told a Sharia (Islamic) court in Kaduna state that her client already has a boyfriend.
He stated that the woman was not suing the father because she disliked him.
The father told the court that when his late parents were alive, they chose the groom for his daughter, and he wanted to honor their wishes.
While the father has the right to choose a husband for his daughter, forced marriage is not encouraged, according to Judge Malam Aiyeku Abdulrahman.
He suggested that the man be patient with his daughter.
“Allow her to present the person she wants to marry, and if you are satisfied with his religion and character, you allow her to marry,” the judge said, according to the Punch.
