Kaduna- A 70-year-old suitor, Saidu Isah, has urged a Sharia Court in Magajin Gari, Kaduna State, to help recover N113,000 he paid as dowry for a girl that refused him marriage.
The septuagenarian had told the court that he paid N155,000 as the dowry of a girl under the guidance of one Baba Haruna.
Isah filed the suit against Haruna when he discovered that the parents of the girl had given her out in marriage to another man.
“I spent a total sum of N155,000 and I was paid N42,000. The remaining N113,000 is what I need since they have married off their daughter to someone else,” he said.
The defendant, however, told the court that he received from the complainant N10,000 as payment for introduction and N60,000 as bride price.
He said he had refunded N42,000 in cash to the complainant and transferred additional N8,000 from his son’s account to him.
He said Isah proposed marriage to his ward, paid her dowry, but left without any information about him for one year.
The defendant said the situation made him to marry off his granddaughter to another man.
“My granddaughter had suitors from Abuja but I refused them because I had an agreement with Sa’idu but he wasted our time.
“So I had no choice than to give her hand out in marriage to another,” he said.
Witnesses to the complainant, Malam Abduljalal and Malama Salamatu, said part of what he said was true.
They however denied knowledge of the claim by that 70-year-old suitor that he paid N155,000 for the hand of the girl.
The Judge, Malam Musa Sa’ad, had earlier asked the two parties to present witnesses to testify.
The case was adjourned to March 21 for the complainant to present his witnesses.