How Emir of Kano , Sanusi Lamido Sanusi got knocks for Marrying 17 year old girl as 4th wife

                                                              Father of the 17 year old girl

                                                                  Emir of Kano on white

More troubles came the way of the Emir of Kano, Malam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi  (Muhammadu Sanusi II), for marrying his fourth wife,  a 17-year-old beautiful daughter of the Lamido of Adamawa, Alhaji Muhammadu Barkindo Aliyu Musdafa.Nigerians have lambasted him for such a move despite his education and class.

Sanusi, an accomplished banker, who became the 14th Emir of Kano last June, is  a respected Islamic Scholar, and his decision to take a new wife is in line with Islamic injunction which prescribes a maximum of four wives for those who can treat all of them equally. Already, Sanusi has three beautiful wives - Sadiya, Maryam and Rakiya.

"How could a 53 year-old educated man shamelessly "marry" a 17-year old child in this 21st century? To hide this filth in the religion of Islam makes it even more noxious. Does Sanusi not have a child that young or even older?", wondered a lawyer, Mr Adiele.

Another commentator wrote: "the thing with our Muslims in Northern Nigeria is that they want to be more Muslim than the Arabs. Sanusi is supposed to be a former Kings College student who went on to be the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria. One would have thought his forays into rounded and secular societies would have broadened his scope a bit."

"Shame on Muslims for exhibiting this regressive static culture. It is not imperative for every aspect of the Koran to be truly interpreted. I don't care what anybody says, a 17 year old is not fully formed, mentally, physically and spiritually.

"Shame on Lamido Sanusi, for marrying a girl who isn't even eligible to vote in the coming elections."

Palace insiders say that like in ancient times when bonds between empires were deepened by marriages among royals and nobles across boundaries, the betrothal of the Adamawa princess to Emir Sanusi  II may also be a move to deepen royal bond between Adamawa and Kano. Historically, both emirates have similar origins in the 19 century Usman dan Fodio’s jihad.

Some Northern Muslims have risen in defense of Sanusi's marriage by confirming the wedding but denying that the age of the bride is not 17.  

Moreover, they argue that such weddings (between members of key royal familes) is quite common...and they are solely meant to solidfy relations between royal kingdom.

But according to Ezeana Igirigi Achusim, the girl could be 15 for all we know. Robbing the cradle. "This wife will die an illiterate. Or will Emir allow her to attend college and interact with kids her age before he makes a mother out of her? At 17, does she have her WAEC certificate? Ten years from now the palace will tell us the army has her certificates."

The Adamawa Emirate headquartered in Yola, founded by Modibo Adama, one of the commanders of Usman dan Fodio, during the Fulani Jihad of 1809, was traditionally located in Fombina which covers present Adamawa and Taraba States and previously stretched as far as northern provinces of Cameroon, minor parts of Western Chad and the Central African Republic before becoming an emirate of the caliphate.  

Kano, which was formerly a sultanate, at the end of the eighteenth century, was the richest and most populous of the Hausa states and its capital was perhaps the greatest city in the whole Sudan. As a centre of trade,  its reputation stretched  far and near. The wave of the 19th century Fulani Jihad of Sheikh Usman dan Fodio defeated the last sultan of Kano by the Jobe Clan of the Fulani, thus making Kano an emirate of the caliphate.