Hauwa Ali Mariri, a 32-year-old woman, risks being punished for allegedly marrying two men — a practice which is against the Sharia or Islamic law, which operates in several states in northern Nigeria — if found guilty.
According to BBC, the drama started when Bello Ibrahim, Mariri’s first husband, return home to their residence in Kumbotso local government area of Kano state, from the village where he had gone for two years to treat an ailment.
The duo were said to have been married for 17 years, with the union producing six children.
Upon returning home, the 40-year-old was said to have met another man lying on his bed. Rankled by the development, he had confronted Mariri, accusing her of marrying another man in his absence.
He had further taken the matter to the state Hisbah Board, leading to her arrest.
Mariri, however, dismissed Ibrahim’s allegation. She said that he had divorced her before he traveled to the village, hence her decision to marry another man.
“He said he had divorced me before he travelled to his hometown. That is why I married Bala, I felt I was a free woman after he mentioned divorce,” she said.
But Ibrahim disagreed with her, claiming the two still remain legally married.
“I never divorced her. If she insists that that is the case where is her evidence, where’s the letter I wrote her?” Ibrahim told the news outlet.
Bala Abdulsalam, Mariri’s second husband, also risked being punished if found guilty of marrying another man’s wife under the Islamic law.
According to the 35-year-old man, he married Mariri after she told him she had divorced her first husband and that they could get married.
Abdulsalam, who was not in the town then, was said to have sent Mariri the sum of N20,000 to handle everything concerning the marriage including the pride price.
“I was out of town when I sent her the money, when I came back to Kano, she was my wife already,” he told the news outlet.
Abdulsalam and Mariri have been married for two years. The union has so far produced a child while Mariri is said to be presently pregnant.
Gwani Murtala, a local commander of the Sharia police in Kumbotso, described the case as a “first of its kind”, noting investigations were ongoing into the matter.
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