A father, Issaka Mohammed, has demanded to meet the man who married his daughter, Fatima, insisting that he must fulfil customary obligations following their marriage.

Issaka, who says he was unaware of the marriage, is seeking to meet his daughter’s husband and receive four cows in accordance with their family’s tradition.

“I want to see you and your husband. I have to take four cows from him,” he insisted.

Speaking on the Obra Show, Issaka said he was distressed after discovering that Fatima, his biological daughter with Salamatu, had married without his knowledge or approval.

Fatima, who is now a mother of four, acknowledged Issaka as her biological father but disputed his account of events surrounding her upbringing and marriage.

She said her grandmother was the person who primarily cared for her while she was growing up.

According to Fatima, she and her husband once visited Issaka with kola nuts, as required by tradition, to announce their intention to marry, but he rejected them.

“My husband and I visited you once, but you could not even recognise me as your daughter. We brought kola nuts, as our tradition demands, to announce our intention to marry, but you rejected them,” Fatima recounted.

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Fatima said she was uncertain about what her father wanted from the situation but promised to discuss the matter with her husband when he returned.

Issaka, however, maintained that he had been denied the opportunity to properly care for Fatima after he was separated from her mother.

He recounted that he travelled to the North to perform the knocking ceremony for Salamatu but was prevented from marrying her and had to pay the equivalent of a cow before he could take custody of their daughter.

He said although he paid the money, Fatima was not handed over to him until she was older and had become pregnant by a man whom he reported to the police.

Hawa, Salamatu’s sister and the woman who raised Fatima, challenged Issaka’s account, accusing him of failing to fulfil his responsibilities as a father.

Despite the disagreements, Issaka said his immediate concern was to meet Fatima’s husband and settle the customary obligations he believes are due to him.

The dispute has subsequently created an opportunity for the family to engage in reconciliation, with discussions expected to centre on Fatima’s marriage, customary rites and the payment of the bride price.

MRA/VPO

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