UPDATED; Zamfara Lawmaker holds mass wedding for 105 virgins who lost parents to banditry

A government-sponsored mass wedding was conducted on Saturday in Zamfara State, Northwest Nigeria, where 105 young women were married off amid fanfare in a region that has been devastated by banditry.

According to SaharaReporters, the 105 spouses who received benefits were orphans whose parents had perished as a consequence of terrorist attacks.

The mass wedding took place on Saturday at the Bungudu central mosque, under the watchful eyes of the member, representing Bungudu Constituency in the State House of Assembly, Abdulmalik Zubairu.

Zubairu told journalists that the gesture was for “virgins and not widows or divorcees”, stressing that a committee consisting of prominent scholars confirmed that benefitting brides were orphans whose parents were murdered by terrorists.

“We set out criteria for qualification, which includes, being an indigent virgin, meaning she’s never married, who wants to start a business,” the lawmaker said.

Fixed or arranged marriage, which often includes child marriage, is popular in Nigeria’s Northern region.

There’s also global condemnation against the practice.

In the recent past, Nigeria’s Minister of Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy, took legal action against a similar move by the Speaker of Niger State House of Assembly. Mohammed Abdulmalik Sarkin-Daji for planning to marry off 100 girls.

The battle was however lost as the girls were eventually married off as planned according to the Islamic injunction.