Dad arraigned for Forced Marriage

An 84-year-old man, who forced his 17-year-old Senior High School (SHS) student into marriage after collecting her bride price, has been arraigned before court.

Mallam Gado, the accused person, was put before a court, presided over by Mrs. Rita Budu Agyemang and charged with attempt to commit crime to wit: compulsion of marriage.

The accused person pleaded not guilty and told police that if Salamatu Gado does not consent to the arranged marriage, he would not be able to cater for her education.

He has been granted bail in the sum of GHc 8,000 with two sureties while the case has been adjourned to August 14 2015.

Narrating events leading to the arrest of the accused person, the prosecuting officer Detective Inspector Kofi Atimbire told the court that the victim is a student of Cosmos Senior High School while the accused person is a security man at Pokuase.

He added that the student lives with the accused and her mother at Barikisu Gado at Pokuase, a suburb of Accra.

The prosecuting officer stated that on July, 29 2015 at about 2:30 pm, police received information from an informant that the security man had given his daughter’s to a certain man under duress.

He stated that police proceeded to the accused person’s house and arrested him,

During investigations, he told the police he had indeed collected money from a certain Yakubu who wanted to marry his daughter.

The police officer said Malam Gado however refused to give more information about the said Yakubu but said there was nothing he could do to stop the marriage.

In addition, he said the wife of the accused person was also invited to the police station for questioning.

He said the woman told police that once the father of the victim had agreed to the marriage, she had no choice than to accept the decision.

He said thorough investigations were conducted by the police after which the accused person was arraigned before court.