A father, Issaka Mohammed, is distressed after discovering that his daughter, Fatima, got married without his knowledge or approval.
He is now seeking to meet the man who married her.
Fatima, the biological daughter of Mr Issaka and Madam Salamatu, is currently a mother of four children.
Speaking on the Obra Show, aired on Nhyira FM and Adom TV, Mr Issaka recounted how he was allegedly prevented from marrying Madam Salamatu and later denied custody of their daughter.
According to him, the Social Welfare Department granted him custody of Fatima when she was 14 years old, but he struggled to take care of her.
“I went to the North to perform the knocking ceremony to marry Salamatu, but her family came for their daughter. I was made to pay the equivalent of a cow before I could have the child. I paid the money, but they still did not give me my daughter,” he narrated.
Mr Issaka said Fatima was later brought to him after she became pregnant by a man whom he reported to the police.
He was, however, shocked to learn that she had subsequently married without his knowledge.
“I don’t know the person who facilitated the marriage or the man who married my daughter without my consent,” he said.
Madam Hawa, Salamatu’s sister and the woman who raised Fatima, questioned Mr Issaka’s claim, arguing that he allegedly failed to perform his responsibilities as a father.
Fatima also shared her side of the story, saying her grandmother was the person who primarily cared for her while growing up.
She acknowledged Mr Issaka as her biological father but disagreed with his position on the marriage.
“My husband and I visited you once, but you could not even recognise me as your daughter. We brought kola nuts, as our tradition demands, to announce our intention to marry, but you rejected them.
“I don’t know what my father wants now, but I will discuss the matter with my husband when he returns,” Fatima told the host, Ohemaa Benewaah.
Mr Issaka, however, maintained that he wants to meet his daughter’s husband and receive four cows in accordance with their custom.
“I want to see you and your husband. I have to take four cows from him,” he insisted.
The dispute has now opened the way for reconciliation, with discussions expected to focus on the customary requirements and the payment of the bride price.
Whether Fatima’s husband will agree to the demand for four cows remains to be seen, as the Obra Get Results team works to bring the parties together and resolve the matter.
