A groom in Kaduna State, Sulaiman Muhammad, has explained why he married the fiancée of his elder brother Abubakar, an air force officer who died two weeks to his wedding.
Sulaiman who got married to Hajara Ahmad on Saturday told BBC pidgin that the family of the bride had sent a message to his family informing them of the bride’s interest in him.
He said this made the families to continue with the wedding plans which had almost been called off due to the unfortunate incident.
Since the wedding, the story has gained traction on social media as some people were bewildered by such arrangements. Some have condemned the man for marrying his brother’s fiancée just over a month after his (brother’s) death.
But Sulaiman, a Kaduna-based interior designer, said he was not bothered by discussions on social media. According to him, as long as both families have endorsed the union, there is no problem.
For him, that is the most important thing.
He said he was very certain that God blessed the union.
When asked if he had a girlfriend before the arrangement to marry his late brother’s fiancee, Sulaiman answered in the affirmative, stating that his marriage was simply destined to happen.
He said, “Abubakar was my immediate elder brother and I loved him very much. His death still hurts me so much. What happened was that, after his death, the fiancée’s family sent a message to my family.
“And the message is that the lady said she likes me and instead of calling off the wedding that was just three weeks away, it would be better I replace my brother, and today we are husband and wife.
“I had a girlfriend but this thing that happened is destiny and I am glad that my ex-girlfriend accepted it the way it is. Both families are in support of what we did and that is the most important thing.
“My friend showed me some of the comments on social media but I’m not moved at all because God has already blessed our wedding. It rained on our wedding day to show God’s blessings.”
The late Abubakar was one of the NAF officials killed during a gun duel with armed bandits at Ungwan Laya near Birnin Gwari on Saturday, February 13.
He was about to get married and had shared his pre-wedding photos before his tragic end.
Abubakar was buried in his hometown in Ungwan Dosa, Kaduna North, Kaduna State on Sunday, February 14.
