By Nasir Zango, Kano
The Kano mass wedding involving 1,520 brides and grooms ended in fiasco as one of the brides gave birth to a baby boy a day after the elaborate ceremonies at the 44 local government areas of the state.
The bride, Habiba Inusa, allegedly concealed the pregnancy to her suitor during courtship period.
Ms Inusa stunned the residents of Gangare area of Doguwa Local Government Area of the state and organisers of the mass wedding when she began labour a day after the wedding and later put to bed a bouncing baby boy.
The enraged groom, Babangida, allegedly forced her out of his house with the baby.
DAILY NIGERIAN gathered that the person allegedly responsible for the pregnancy, Kamalu, fled when he got wind of the development.
Speaking at the reception organised in honour of the couples by the state government at coronation hall on February 26, the Commander General of the Kano State Hisbah Board, Aminu Daurawa, said the couples were carefully selected after undergoing series of screening.
He said the couples had undergone medical tests and the grooms showed proof of means before the board approve of the marriage.
Mr Daurawa also said the state government had paid N20,000 dowry for each of the groom, provided full furniture sets for each of the bride and donated the sum of N15, 000 to each of the brides for empowerment.
But when DAILY NIGERIAN contacted Mr Daurawa on Thursday, he said he was not aware of the scandal.
He however did not express surprise at the incident, saying the exercise was decentralised and left in the hands of politicians this time round.
Asked why he said the couples underwent medical screening on February 26, he said he was referring to the 50 couple slots given to the board headquarters.
“We were suddenly asked to provide list of the couples six months after we thoroughly screened them in conjunction with qualified medical personnel of the ministry of Health. Government decided to allow local governments to handle the exercise. So anything can happen,” he added.
