Court dissolves Ganduje daughter’s 16-year-old marriage, orders return of N50,000 dowry to estranged husband

Court dissolves Ganduje daughter’s 16-year-old marriage, orders return of N50,000 dowry to estranged husband
Asiya Balaraba Ganduje with her estranged husband Alhaji Inuwa Uba

An Upper Shari’a Court sitting in Kano on Thursday dissolved the 16-year-old marriage between Asiya Ganduje and Inuwa Uba.

Ms Asiya is the daughter of the Kano State Governor and Inuwa Uba.

Delivering a ruling, the Judge, Abdullahi Halliru said the marriage was dissolved through Khul’i (divorce by Islamic means).

Mr Halliru ordered the plaintiff to return N50,000 paid as dowry by the respondent.

“The conditions the respondent earlier raised before the court should be based on Islamic Sunnah on Khul’i.

“Khul’i is strictly based on returning the dowry giving to a woman, the condition should not affect her in anyway especially in giving out her wealth”

Earlier, the Petitioner’s Counsel, Ibrahim Aliyu-Nassarawa, told the court that his client insists on returning the N50,000 bride price received from her husband in exchange for divorce.

The petitioner was in court seeking the dissolution of her marriage through Islamic means (Khul’i) as she claimed to be tired and fed up with Inuwa.

“Every woman who is living under strange conditions has a right under Islamic law to approach the court and seek for her marriage to be dissolved with the condition to return the dowry.

Counsel to the respondent, Umar I. Umar, said the issue is beyond the payment of N50,000 dowry.

“The respondent has four kids with the plaintiff, but all efforts to reconcile them proved abortive,” Mr Umar said.

He gave two conditions regarding some of his belongings, that the plaintiff should return all his client credentials, house certificates, cars and relinquish her rights in their joint rice company before he divorce her.

NAN