63-Year Old Priest Marries 12-Year Old Girl…Is This Fair? – Kwesi Pratt Blasts Nungua Traditional Council

Seasoned journalist, Kwesi Pratt has complained about the Nungua traditional marriage between a 12-year old girl and a 63-year priest.

The priest, Nuumo Borketey Laweh Tsuru XXXIII, married the girl in a customary ceremony held at Nungua in Accra and following the marriage rite which was captured in a video that has gone viral, the priest and the Nungua Traditional Council have come under intense criticisms.

With some people calling for the annulment of the customary marriage, others have petitioned the Police to arrest the priest for marrying an underage girl.

Touching on the issue during a panel discussion on Peace FM’s Tuesday edition of “Kokrokoo” show, Kwesi Pratt expressed concerns over the vast age difference between the couple.

Although the Council, in an attempt to set the record straight, says what happened is betrothal, Mr. Pratt wonders how that is fair to the young girl involved.

Stating the legal age for marriage in Ghana is 18 years, the Editor-in-Chief of the Insight newspaper noted that this means the priest can legally marry the child only when she turns 18 years old which therefore means the priest will be 69 years old at the time.

He noted that there are series of events that could alter the life of the priest, at age 69, saying the vagaries of life will make the priest unattractive to this young girl, so finds it very unfair for her to be betrothed.

“Is it fair? Is it fair to commit a 12-year old girl to this?”, he questioned.

Source: Ghmessenger.com