“I’m in Love with My Boyfriend” — Kano Woman Tells Court as She Seeks Divorce from Arranged Marriage

A woman in Kano State, Maimuna Umar Gora, has told a Shari’a Court in Danbare, Kumbotso Local Government Area, that she wants her two-year-old marriage dissolved because she is in love with her boyfriend, not the man her parents chose for her.

Gora approached the court seeking to end her marriage to Sabo Shehu Kabara, which she claimed was arranged without her consent. According to her, Kabara had visited her parents and proposed marriage, which they accepted because he owns a farm in their community.

“My parents agreed to the marriage for worldly reasons. I didn’t know him, and I’m in love with my boyfriend,” she told the court.

She also disclosed that she had made earlier unsuccessful attempts to end the marriage in other courts.

Presiding over the case, Khadi Munzali Idris Gwadabe ordered that Kabara be served a summons and adjourned the matter until June 12 for further hearing.