17-Year Old Bride Sets Self Ablaze

A 17-year-old bride-to-be identified simply as Aisha has been reported to have set herself ablaze over the inability of her fiance to pay her dowry fee of N17,000.

Naija News understands that Aisha attempted to take her own life in the Albarkawa area in Gusau metropolis in Zamfara state on Sunday, August 8.

Her frustration started after she found out that her fiance of few years has a poor financial level and so cannot afford to pay her dowry in preparation for their wedding.

Aisha’s neighbour in a report obtained by Naija News, revealed that Umar, Aisha’s fiance had been summoned by his prospective in-laws for the marital engagement but the young man told her parent that he was not financially well off to pay for the N17,000 as dowry demanded by the father of the girl.

“She brought a gallon of petrol and a matchbox. She got her self drenched in the petrol and struck a match stick and within a second she got engulfed in flames. Even before setting her self ablaze, her younger sister had tried hard to stop her from taking the dangerous decision by flinging the matchbox from her hand as any time she attempted to strike the matches the younger sister would stop her until when she became tired of stopping and went away.”

“The girl then ran outside the house screaming for help until some good Samaritans arrived and put out the raging flames tormenting her. The girl’s father said he had no money to take her to the hospital as he could only boast of N750 at the time the incident happened,” Umar was quoted to have narrated.

Aisha who was severely burnt is being treated with Orthodox and other traditional medicines at home.