Member of Parliament for Madina and Human Rights lawyer, Francis Sosu has petitioned the Ghana Police Service to arrest and prosecute 63-year-old Nungua Gborbu Wulomo who over the weekend took a 12-year-old girl as a customary wife.
The legislator in his petition said the act by the Ga priest is a “clear act of illegality and a careless abuse of the right of an innocent Ghanaian child.”
He relies on certain local and international legal instruments to make a case for the arrest; including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 28 of Ghana’s Constitution, and Ghana’s Children’s Act, 1998.
“In furtherance of the above, section 109 of the Criminal Offences Act criminalises compulsion of marriages. The conduct of the Wulomo constitutes a breach of both local and international laws on Child care and protection and the said conduct is illegal,” the petition further said.
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Since the incident happened on Saturday, it has sparked outrage across the country, with many calling on the Ghana Police and the sector ministry to take action.
Read Also: The Paediatric Society of Ghana Has Condemned Gborbu Wulomo’s Marriage to the 12 Year Old
The Police Service in response earlier today said it has placed the girl and her mother under its protection while it probes the case with the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection and the Department of Social Welfare.
But in defence, the Ga Dangme Council has said the incident was a mere betrothal and not a marriage.
