Aminu Danmaliki, a 60-year-old man who made headlines for allegedly marrying an 11-year-old girl in Kano State, has addressed the controversy surrounding his marriage.
The video of their wedding went viral on social media, with many accusing him of marrying an underage girl.
However, in a statement shared on Facebook on Wednesday, Danmaliki clarified that his wife is actually 21 years old and not 11 as people had claimed.
He said, “My recent marriage with Sakina has generated a lot of tension and unfounded allegations that I married an underage girl, some suggesting she is 11 years old and that she was forced to marry me. That is untrue. The Wedding Video went viral.
“We decided to keep mute but was advised to state the true facts, here it is: My beloved wife is 21 years old she made her own choice of me as her husband and I loved her too.
“I hope the blackmailers and doubting Thomas’s (sic) will see the reality in this picture and leave us alone to enjoy our honeymoon.”
He added that she chose him as her husband and that they both love each other. Many people defended him in the comment section of his post, while only a few criticized him.
President Muhammadu Buhari’s media aide, Bashir Ahmad, also praised Danmaliki for coming out to state the facts.