Child Rights Advocacy groups in Bayelsa State have vehemently opposed the traditional marriage between a four-year-old girl and a 54-year-old man in Akeddei community, Sagbama Local Government Area.

The groups, including the Do Foundation, have labeled the union as illegal, criminal, and a violation of both the Constitution and the Child Rights Act.

The controversial marriage took place on Tuesday, with the minor’s parents asserting that the 54-year-old man, identified as Elder Akpos, was her husband in a previous life.

The child claimed that her former husband had died mysteriously, and she had been searching for him by moving from place to place, being born under different parents.

Community sources revealed that the girl insisted that marrying her previous life husband was the only reason for her existence in Akeddei, threatening to die if the marriage did not occur.

To prevent such a tragic outcome, the community decided to organize a lavish wedding ceremony to celebrate the union of the supposed past-life lovers.

The Chairperson of the Do Foundation in Bayelsa State, Elvis Mannie Esq., issued a statement confirming the incident and condemning it as “horrendous and despicable.”

The foundation has initiated an investigation to intervene and protect the child.

Mannie emphasized that the Child’s Rights Law, domesticated in 2016 and still in force in Bayelsa State, categorically criminalizes child marriages and betrothals.

He stated, “This law criminalizes child marriages and child betrothals on pain of imprisonment and heavy fines.”

The Do Foundation called upon the Bayelsa State Government, the Gender Response Initiative Team, and all stakeholders in the Gender Response system, including security agencies, to launch a thorough investigation into the incident.