Reasons have emerged on why the marriage between Alhaji Musa Tsafe and his granddaughter, Wasila Isah Tsafe was forcefully dissolved by the Higher Shari’a court, Tsafe area of Zamfara State.
Speaking with DAILY POST in a telephone interview, Alhaji Tsafe explained that trouble started when another person from the same family intended to marry one of their relations but the family members rejected the idea entirely on the ground that they were blood relations.
According to him, the man who intended to marry one of the relations then sighted an example of him (Tsafe) who married his relation, wondering why his own marriage should not be approved by the same family members.
“Our relatives, therefore, invited me, demanding that the marriage should be dissolved because we are blood relations, claiming that they have made blunders going by the Islamic injunctions regarding the rules of marriage.
“Both myself and my wife, Wasila rejected the idea because the marriage has produced eight children and we are living peacefully.
“It was an Islamic scholar that officiated the marriage and he did not know that the marriage was contrary to the teachings of Islam until now. If there is any mistake in the marriage, the family members and the Islamic scholar should be blamed for their carelessness.
“We have been in the marriage for over 23 years with eight children and are living happily. Then how could some people jump in to destroy a happy marriage that has lasted for over two decades.
“We must appeal the judgment at the State Shari’a court of Appeal because we are not satisfied with the judgment of the Higher Shari’a court,” he said.
But one of the relations of Alhaji Tsafe, who spoke with DAILY POST, Alhaji Usman Isah said that as the family members presented the issue of dissolving the marriage between Alhaji Tsafe and Wasila, (his wife), they left the Tsafe town to a village under Tsafe Local Government Area.
“When pressures were mounted on them, Alhaji Tsafe relocated to Kaduna State with his family where he stayed for some years and later returned to Tsafe believing that the tension had gone down.
“On sighting him in Tsafe, the community members raised an alarm which forced the family members to take the case to Tsafe emirate council who invited the Hisbah commission to investigate the marriage and come back with their findings,” he added.
According to Isah, the Hisbah commission investigated the marriage and submitted their report to the emirate council, advising that the council should involve the State Islamic Advisory committee, pointing out that when the Advisory committee submitted its report, it tallied with the report of Hisbah commission.
“The emirate council then invited both the couple and their large family and advised that the marriage should be dissolved but Alhaji Tsafe and his wife still insisted that they would not be separated
“The emirate council had already provided a completed building for Wasila and her eight children to be living there, while Alhaji Musa Tsafe was instructed to be releasing money to them for their upkeeps,” he added.
He further explained that when every entreaty failed, the commission had no other option than to drag the case to Higher Shari’a court in Tsafe, seeking the dissolution of the marriage.
