18 year-old woman escapes tried compelled marriage to bandit chief in Katsina

News

By Linda Ikeji
12 November 2026, 3:54 pm

An 18-year-old woman, Amina Suleiman has escaped from her neighborhood within the Danmusa Local Government Area of Katsina State after her dad and mom tried to present her hand in marriage to a infamous bandit chief recognized as Babaye.

Babaye had threatened to assault the Mai-zare neighborhood if Amina’s household turned down his request for her hand in marriage, forcing them to simply accept her bride value and repair a date for the marriage.

A couple of days earlier than the marriage, Amina escaped to Danmusa city, the place she was noticed by members of the Civilian Joint Task Force (JTF), who took her to security and later transferred her to their Zonal Office in Funtua.

Narrating her ordeal, Amina mentioned her dad and mom had approached her with the wedding proposal from the bandit chief, which she turned down.

“He approached my parents and asked for my hand in marriage, and they accepted his request out of fear. But how can I agree to marry him when he is a bandit? Everyone in the area knows him as a bandit leader. I cannot imagine myself becoming the wife of a known criminal,” she mentioned.

Narrating how the incident unfolded, the Funtua Zonal Commander of the Civilian JTF, Abba Sarki, mentioned the bandit chief had threatened to burn down the neighborhood if Amina’s household turned down his request for her hand in marriage.

“Her parents insisted that she must marry the bandit to save the community. They went ahead to collect her bride price and fix a date for the wedding, but they only acted under duress,” Sarki said, maintaining that authorities will not return her to the community.