El-kanemi Memorial Foundation, an NGO, has revealed that 78% of girls in Northern Nigeria get married before turning 18 years old.
Speaking in Damaturu, Dr Abba Kyari, the Executive Director of the foundation, stated that based on the available data, child marriage is more prevalent in the North-West and North-East of Nigeria, with 48% of girls married by age 15 and 78% married by age 18.
According to him, despite national and international laws legislating against child marriage, 44% of girls in Nigeria are married before their 18th birthday, robbing them of their childhood and future. He explained that the foundation organized a dialogue on ending child marriage in Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa states, in collaboration with UNFPA, with the theme ‘Combat Gender-Based Violence in Emergencies
