Man arrested for forcefully marrying off underage daughters vows to deal with them

An Anambra man, Uzochukwu Okoli, who was arrested for allegedly forcefully giving out his underaged daughters in marriage, has threatened to deal with them once he returns from detention.

The man made the threat in the office of the Commissioner for Women Affairs, Mrs Ify Obinabo, who facilitated his arrest.

He was arrested following a report by one of his daughters to the Ministry of Women and Social Welfare, alleging maltreatment by her father and being forced into marriage.

One of the daughters, Chioma Okoli, who claimed to be 16, said their father brought them back from Edo State, where they were schooling, simply to give them out in marriage.

Chioma who was accompanied to the Ministry by her elder sister, alleged that she was initially forced to live with a septuagenarian at the age of 14 before the father later gave her out to a 34-year old man, Chinedu Nweke, to marry.

She said, “After the death of our mother, our father brought us back from Edo State, where we were going to school to take a husband.

“He first forced me to live with a 70 years old man at the age of 14 but after sometime, I ran back home before he later gave me out to a 34 year old man, Chinedu Nweke, as husband.

“Unfortunately, life with Chinedu has been hell because he beats me and sometimes after beating me pees in my mouth. I was forced to run away with my 9 months old baby.”

Commissioner for Women and Social Welfare, Ify Obinabo directed that the case be charged to court to ensure justice for the victims.

She urged parents to be mindful of their children and guide them properly instead of pushing them to early marriages capable of destroying their lives.

But the suspect, who could not give the correct age of her daughters while being taken away in handcuffs promised to deal with the daughters if he finally came out of detention alive.

He boasted: “Just pray I die in prison because I will definitely deal with you if I eventually come out alive. I’ll make life more miserable for all of you,” he vowed.

Both suspects, Okoli and the husband he procured for her daughter, Nweke were arrested and would be arraigned soon, the commissioner said.