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Arewa youths on Monday warned against undue interference and politicization of the ordeal of Walida, a 22-year-old woman whose relationship with a Department of State Services (DSS) official is controversial.
A woman named Walida Abdulhadi Ibrahim is at the center of controversy after her family and certain religious groups claim that not only is she a minor, but she was also kidnapped and forced into marriage by DSS officer Ifeanyi Onyiwenyi.
In an interview with a national newspaper last week, Walida revealed that he was indeed seduced by a woman in Hadejia, Jigawa State, and brought to Abuja. She said she managed to escape in Abuja and later found love and compassion in Ifeanyi, but her actions have angered her parents and relatives.
However, apparently fearing the fate that could befall Walida if she had to return to her parents, DSS reportedly placed Walida in so-called “protective custody” and asked the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) and the Social Welfare Department of the Ministry of Women’s Affairs to prove the case.
The development has not settled well with Walida’s family, some Muslim groups and other stakeholders.
In Abuja on Monday, the Arewa Youth Congress, an influential group in the north, advised those dabbling in the matter to respect the fundamental human rights of Ms. Walida, who is currently having a baby in Ifeanyi.
Mohammed Salihu Danlami, chairman of the Arewa Youth Chamber, warned at a press conference in Abuja that it would be wrong for officials to delve into a purely personal matter involving a man and a woman who now also has a young daughter.
The group expressed surprise that interested parties were trying to break up Walida and Ifeanyi’s relationship after their daughter was born.
He said he was concerned that some organizations had an interest in usurping the social welfare mandate of NAPTIP and the Ministry of Women’s Affairs. He said these organizations had been formally informed about the matter and had launched an investigation.
The group also expressed surprise that the group was not interested in how Walida was lured and taken from her home, saying the syndicate may have lured more girls from the north.
The Arewa group praised the DSS for fulfilling its constitutional duty to protect Walida, saying the secret police acted without fear or favor.
Mr. Danlami said that as a government agency that does not tolerate lack of discipline, DSS has shown itself to be above the norm, as seen in the recent dismissal of more than 115 employees for various offenses.
The AYA pointed out that third parties should desist from unduly interfering in this matter, as it has been established that Walida and her father were also communicating under the protection of DSS.
“It is confirmed that Ms. Walida made the first call to her father. The father and daughter had a conversation, which is why the father sought a medical evaluation to ascertain Mr. Walida’s mental state,” Dandami asserted.
