Almajirai: Arrest irresponsible fathers – Emir Sanusi

The Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, has called for the enactment of laws against all forms of injustice in marriages by state governments.

Emir Sanusi spoke on Thursday at the Joint National Conference of Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) and Future Assured Initiative on “Repositioning the Muslim Family for National Development” held at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

He recommended the arrest of any irresponsible father that sends out his child as Almajiri to beg for alms.

“Don’t send your children to go and beg; Stop treating Almajiri as criminals. You should rather go and arrest the father because he is responsible for Almajiri. You are not allowed to abandon your children on the streets,” the Emir said.

He added that the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III, and himself had packaged a set of laws to address some of the family issues to Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje of Kano state for onward transmission to the state House of Assembly for consideration and passage into law.

The traditional ruler recalled that 12 States in the North had adopted the Shariah laws in 1999 without any need to reform the laws outside of the Muslim Criminal law.

He advised men to take full responsibility for their marriages, especially in economic terms, by marrying only when they can take care of a wife, and having children they can cater for.

“Everyday, wives are complaining about their husbands who claim their rights but abandon their responsibilities in marriage; women being divorced with their husbands for not taking care of the children and those children ending up on the streets, engaging in drugs, political thuggery, violent extremism.

“I can spend 100 years saying that it is wrong and un-Islamic for a man to beat his wife, but it is the governor and the State House of Assembly that should pass the law, it is the courts and the Police that will make sure that the woman gets justice. The scholars and Emirs cannot do that.

“So, these groups of human beings are those who will stand to answer to Allah if there is no justice.

“The traditional and religious leaders have an obligation to ask for justice, but those with the political powers have an obligation to put in place the processes that will make sure that these justices are complied with,” he said.