Womanifesto, a women’s rights advocacy group comprising over 500 organizations, has urged President Bola Tinubu’s government to protect the rights of women and children. This appeal follows incidents in Niger State where around 100 orphaned children were coerced into marriages. The group’s letter highlighted the unlawful nature of these actions, which involved orphaned girls and women affected by banditry and insecurity in Maruga local government area. According to ‘Girls Not Brides,’ 30% of girls in Nigeria marry before 18, with 12% married before 15. Reports from Save the Children International and UNICEF show high rates of forced marriages and lack of basic education among girls in Northern Nigeria. Womanifesto also criticized the Niger State House of Assembly Speaker, Abdulmalik Sarkin-Daji, for politicizing the plight of these vulnerable girls and widows.
https://guardian.ng/news/nigeria/metro/group-seeks-protection-for-women-children
