Horror as priest, 63, marries 12-year-old girl

A 12-year-old miss has been placed nether constabulary extortion successful Ghana aft it emerged she had been joined to a 63-year-old accepted precocious priest.

Nuumo Borketey Laweh Tsuru XXXIII, a spiritual person successful the Nungua country of the capital, Accra, wed the unidentified kid successful a immense ceremonial connected Saturday.

Footage of the nuptials were shared by a section quality transmission and showed the young miss successful a elemental achromatic formal and a matching headpiece.

Her caller “husband” was besides seen placing a greenish wreath connected her head.

Images of the wedding ceremony, which were attended by galore successful the priest’s community, triggered a nationalist outcry by galore Ghanaians who pointed retired the signifier was illegal.

Police were speedy to respond, revealing the kid has since been placed nether their protection, the BBC reports.

In Ghana, the ineligible minimum property to get joined is 18, but the West African state has a analyzable past with the harmful accepted signifier (HTP) according to the FXB Centre for Health and Human Rights astatine Harvard University.

Child matrimony was explicitly criminalised successful Ghana arsenic portion of the Children’s Act of 1998.

UNICEF has reported a diminution successful the act, but notes it is hard to way owed to an lack of commencement certificates successful immoderate areas and trouble successful proving if a miss is underage.

Recent stats suggest the state inactive has 1 of the highest kid matrimony prevalence rates successful the world, with one-in-four girl’s being forced into the practice.

Police are present investigating the incident, with galore locals praising their speedy action.

The bureau of the influential clergyman has defended the marriage, saying it was lone ceremonial, Yahoo News reported.

They further claimed the miss “had been prepared for this relation since the property of six” without hindering her education, according to a section news outlet.

Police person tried to reassure the acrophobic public, stating interaction has besides been made with the government’s children’s curate and the societal payment section to guarantee the 12-year-old gets the indispensable support.

But the footage, which reportedly showed women telling the miss to formal teasingly for her hubby successful their section connection Ga, has acrophobic many.

Local writer Zubaida Afua Mabuno Ismail has called retired claims the matrimony volition not interfere with the girl’s education.

“The statement present isn’t astir her not being successful school, which we’ve not established yet. We accidental that SHE’S A CHILD NOT A BRIDE,” she wrote connected X, formerly known arsenic Twitter.

As a spiritual leader, the clergyman – known arsenic a “Gborbu Wulomo” – performs sacrifices connected behalf of the community, prays for their protection, enforces taste practices and leads accepted rites.