INTERPOL wades into Yarima’s marriage to Egyptian girl
A statement by the commission said INTERPOL General Counsel, Joel Sollier, had in a letter to the NHRC Executive Secretary said the organization has contacted the National Central Bureau Lagos, to furnish it with relevant information concerning the marriage.
Sollier said INTERPOL has carefully considered the child rights issues raised in the matter by the NHRC and has in turn transmitted the issue to competent Police Directorate within the general secretariat for appropriate follow up.
According to Joy Ngozi Ezielo, United Nations Special Rapporteur on Trafficking in Persons, the father of the Egyptian bride might have been arrested by the INTERPOL. She was said to have made the disclosure at a round table organized by the NHRC in Abuja during the week. It is not clear on what specific charge the unnamed father of the bride to Senator Ahmed Sani is being held. Sani has at different times appeared before the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons and Other Related Matters (NAPTIP) which have since submitted recommendations for prosecution of the case by the Attorney General of the Federation.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Council for Shariah in Nigeria sued the NHRC and NAPTIP alongside the leadership of the National Assembly before an Abuja Federal High Court, seeking the enforcement of its members’ (including Senator Sani) right to private and family life and right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion as guaranteed under sections 37and 38 of the 1999 constitution.