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 Timin & Doose          93 

 

EFFECT OF EARLY MARRIAGE IN THE NIGERIAN SOCIETY: 

THE BENUE EXPERIENCE 

 

Luther AnumTimin 
Department of Religion and Cultural Studies 

Benue State University, Makurdi 

Email: luthertimin@gmail.com; 0805068221 

 

& 

 

Tsekeh Jesse Doose 

Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies 

Nassarawa State University, Keffi 

Email: jessetsekeh411@gmail.com; 08061217515 

 

Abstract 

The effect of early marriage is still one of the most disturbing and painful 

problems bedeviling the people of Benue state and generally the Nigerian 

society in the 21st century. It is still the case today in Benue state and many 

other regions of Nigeria, especially in poor areas, that some families force 

their daughters to get married at very early ages. The thrust of this paper is 

therefore to undertake an assessment of early child marriage in Benue society 

with a view to making recommendations that could stem the tide. The study 

adopted the qualitative research design by relying on secondary sources of 

data collection. The expository and evaluative methods were used for data 

analysis. The study found out that many factors are responsible for early 

marriage including poverty, ignorance, chauvinism, etc. The study also 

discovered that the effects of early marriage are severe on the individuals 

concerned, the family and the society at large. The study recommended, inter 

alia, that there should be adequate awareness, poverty alleviation, and 

implementation of relevant legislations towards curbing early marriage. The 

study concluded that the marriage of a person less than 18 years is illegal and 

should be discouraged on all fronts. 

 

Keywords: Child, Early, Marriage, Nigerian society 

 

 

Introduction 

Early marriage, also referred to as child marriage, is defined as any marriage 

carried out below the age of 18 years, before the girl is physically, 

physiologically and psychologically ready to shoulder the responsibilities of 

marriage and childbearing. While more women are marrying in their thirties in 

developed countries, overall, 20 to 50 percent of women are married by the 

age of 18 in the developing world with the highest percentages in West 

mailto:luthertimin@gmail.com
mailto:jessetsekeh411@gmail.com


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African within Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia (Afolabi and Abatan, 1). 

The context of early marriage in this zone must be understood within an 

environment of poverty, gender inequality, and cultural taboos against 

premarital sex for girls, religious beliefs and patriarchal predisposition for 

controlling female sexuality.  It is also true that culture differs in every society 

and they have some basic norms and beliefs that guide the people (2).  Jain, 

Bisen, Sing & Jain refers to child marriage as any marriage carried out below 

the age of eighteen (18yrs) years before the girl is physically, physiologically 

and psychologically ready to shoulder the responsibilities of marriage and 

child bearing (2).  

 

The Benue society is plagued with a number of challenging issues, one of 

such issues is early child marriage. Child marriage represents a fundamental 

breach of human rights. However, a number of Benue societies accept and 

practice it. The Benue society recognizably places expectation on females to 

marry and become submissive to their husbands, and in some cases drop their 

personal interests and ambitions. Child marriage as a phenomenon is today 

getting renewed attention among policy makers worldwide due to the 

realization of the dangers involved in it. This, also, is in part because child 

marriage remains highly prevalent despite efforts by many governments of 

developing countries to discourage and even outlaw the practice. Obviously 

child marriage is a violation of the rights of the girl children who are forced to 

marry early, and it profoundly affects their lives through substantially lower 

education prospects, economic prospects, health complications, higher 

likelihood of acquiring HIV/AIDS, higher levels of infant mortality with early 

pregnancies, and higher risks of violence.  

 

The Concept Early (Child) Marriage 

Early marriage, also referred to as child marriage, has been variously defined. 

Some of these definitions are culture-dependent or conditioned by 

demographic differences. In the case of Nigeria, Alabi, Bahah and Alabi 

defined early marriage as “any marriage carried out below the age of 18 years, 

before the girl is physically, physiologically and psychologically ready to 

shoulder the responsibilities of marriage and childbearing” (78). Drawing a 

contrast, UNICEFreports that “while more women are marrying in their 

thirties in developed countries, overall, 20 to 50 percent of women are married 

by the age of 18 in the developing world with the highest percentages in West 

African within Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia” (43). In the same 

connection, Usugh notes that approximately 40% of women aged 20-24 

worldwide who were married before the age of 18 live in Sub Saharan Africa, 

thus resulting in early marriage being largely sub- Saharan African 

phenomena (2). 

 



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The female section of the population has however faced societal prejudices 

from discrimination because of their gender as well as stigmatization as a 

result of failure to meet societal standards and customs. One of these 

prejudices is the expectation within the society that females must become 

married in order to gain audience in their society. It is estimated that more that 

20-50 % of females in developing nations particularly in the sub-Saharan 

region of Africa go into marriage before the age of 18. The above 

phenomenon today is known as girl child marriage (Jain, Bisen, Sing & Jain, 

13).Child marriage is an ancient tradition which could be defined as any 

marriage that occurs when the girl is not physically, mentally or 

physiologically ready to bear the pressures of marriage and child bearing. 

Scholars have emphasized that the human rights of the girl-child is violated 

through early marriage as globally, international bodies recognize 18 years as 

the legal age of marriage (Gage, 2). This is because child marriages are most 

times carried out without the valid consent of one or two of the parties.  

Although more emphasis has been given to girls as the experience for boys is, 

less likely to be exploitative or physically harmful as it is for girls. The 

imposition of a marriage partner on children or adolescents who are in no way 

ready for married life, and whose marriage will deprive them of freedom, 

opportunity for personal development, and other rights including health and 

well-being, education, and participation in civic life, nullifies the meaning of 

the convention on the rights of the child’s core protections for those 

concerned.  

 

Child Marriage in Benue 

Early child marriage is a common practice in most developing countries. In 

Benue state and most parts of Nigeria, many girl and boy-children are married 

off against their will. With these young girls married off, their educational 

pursuits are terminated and dreams aborted. 

 

To an average Benue person, early marriage is just a “custom”, a “tradition”, 

part of people’s “culture”. As a matter of fact, early marriage is a thing of 

pride to an average Benue person. A Benue parent is happy and proud when 

his or her son or daughter gets married early. It is assumed that they can be 

privileged to see their grandchildren and take care of them as they are still yet 

younger. Although the emergence of civilization is wiping away this believe. 

 

Marriage is a union ordained by God and is the only remarkable event in a 

human life that is associated with choice. The choice to be married and stay 

married which is a personal decision, is thwarted since they are forced into 

marriages at early age without their approval. This is glaring as a 2017 

UNICEF report states that about 17% of Nigerian young girls are married 

before 15years and 43% are married before they attain 18years. And this is in 

stark contradiction to, and contravention of the constitution of the Federal 



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Republic of Nigeria Section 23 which states that; “a person under the age of 

18years is incapable of contracting a valid marriage; and in the event such 

marriage holds, it should be proclaimed null and void”.  

 

The negative effects of this menace of early marriage are legion and ugly. 

Unfortunately, even with the modernity and civilization of the 21st century the 

practice does not seem to be abating among the cultural norms of the tribes in 

Benue state. Notably, the 21st century globally is an age when every person, 

regardless of age, gender and social status, can act to follow their dreams with 

full support from their societies. Sadly, in Benue many young girls do not 

have a voice in the matter – they are raised to believe that they are made for 

serving their husbands, without a chance to get proper education and 

profession. Their health is often severely damaged by early pregnancy, 

especially as there is usually no proper healthcare around in rural areas. Thus, 

the dreams of many girls to become amazing professionals are simply dashed 

when they are forcefully married to some man they barely know, can actually 

cause harm to them. The young brides are socially disadvantaged since they 

have no education, no good healthcare provision, no skill of socializing with 

other people and no future of their own. There is therefore need for a clarion 

call on all and sundry to put hands on deck towards curbing the tide of this 

monster.  

 

Factors Responsible for Early Marriage in Benue State 

Various causes have been pointed at by scholars as either remotely or 

immediately being responsible for the prevalence of early marriage. In Benue, 

the following factors are largely accountable for early marriage:  

 

Financial Challenges 
Poverty is a critical contributing factor to early girl-child marriage in Benue 

State. The crippling poverty in Benue State is most felt in the rural areas 

where most people are struggling to barely survive. Most parents who earn 

very little to maintain normal lives and support a young daughter choose to 

force her into marriage. Girls suffer from it because they often get married 

against their will at the age of 10 or even younger. On the one hand, where the 

parents of the child are faced with acute financial challenges, their young girls 

may be seen as expensive and a burden on the family. This can lead to the 

parents marrying her off to an older man at a very young age in order to 

reduce the financial burden on the family. On the other hand, marrying off the 

girl child could be seen as a way of increasing the wealth of the family. In 

traditional society in Benue which includes the TivIdoma and Igede people, 

the bride’s family usually receives various items and cash from the family of 

the groom (Ayenge, 18). Thus, poor families tend to marry off their girls 

earlier in order to receive bride-wealth which is considered a source of income 

to the family.  



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Family alliances 
Kanyi (2008) is of the opinion that conventionally, marriage is a union 

between two families and some parents lure their girl-children into marriage 

in order to consolidate family alliances. According to findings by Malhotra 

(2017), some marriages in Tivland and in fact all of Africa are seen as a 

means of strengthening the relationships between families or settling disputes. 

Such female children are quickly forced into marriage so as to prevent them 

from eloping or getting pregnant at their parents’ home.  According to a report 

by Maiangwa & Amao(2015), in some cases the children are betrothed even 

before birth. 

 

Ignorance 
Abdallah (2011) opines that one of the significant causes of early girl-child 

marriage is ignorance on the part of the parents. This is ignorance in the sense 

that some parents have the opinion that their daughters are safe form sexual 

attacks and violence when they are married off early (109). This is 

compounded by the fact that scores of Tiv population still lack education. This 

therefore exposes them to a lot of societal superstitions and misinterpretations 

of marriage. Thereby, making them susceptible to any superstition or 

misconceptions that have been passed down from generation to generation 

regarding early-child marriage. According to Atim (2017), the education of 

parents greatly affects the timing and type of marital union in Benue. Ignorant 

parents give out their children earlier in marriage than informed parents. Lack 

of education propels parents to believe that training a girl-child is a waste of 

resources, that marriage is the only alternative that will protect her without 

knowing the precautions of the act. They are also made to believe that it is 

safer, more economical to train a boy because it entails limited resources 

compared to a girl. Many of them do not know the aftermath of early child 

marriage due to the fact that they still hold on to their ancient beliefs. 

 

Fear of Unintended Pregnancy 
The traditional Benue tribes generally frowns upon pregnancy prior to 

marriage. As such, most families seek to marry off their girl-children before 

they get pregnant outside marriage. A report by UNICEF established that 

unmarried girls are seen as liability to the honor of the family and in order to 

guarantee chastity and virginity of the bride they are married off early to avoid 

dishonoring the family (28). Msugh Matthew asserts here that the society has 

become very sexually-minded. Once children are allowed to mature properly 

before marriage, there is a tendency of them getting entangled and getting 

pregnant, thereby bringing shame to the family. In order not to allow girls 

bring such shame to the family, most families marry out their children early 

enough in order to prevent them from having sexual knowledge so as to 

prevent unintended pregnancy. 

 



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Gender inequality 
It is apparent that in Benue, there are still rural areas with ancient patriarchal 

beliefs that prefer male to female children (Ayenge, 2018). Often, people are 

convinced that the boy child is a good luck, while the girl child is not, and she 

can only be used as a future bride. Such female children are not offered 

educational opportunities by their parents as their male counterparts. Rather, 

at an early age they are unceremoniously given out in marriage. 

 

Fear of Witchcraft  

This is a major cause of child marriage in Benue. There is the fear that 

envious family members could through witchcraft prevent a girl who has 

come of age from getting married. The general belief here is that it is in the 

nature of witches and wizards to hate the progress of family members. Thus, 

such witches and wizards who may be family members but scared of their 

victim’s progress might prevent suitors form marrying their daughters. To 

forestall this, many people give out their daughters in marriage earlier than 

required. Iorpenda Moses corroborates this by narrating how he gave out his 

three daughters’ into marriage at the ages of 14 and 15 years because of his 

elder brother who prevented any girl that gets to 18 years from marrying in the 

family. Upon further inquiry, Iorpenda revealed that his elder brother was 

childless and so would not want any other person to enjoy the bride price of a 

matured daughter in the family. Because of this fear, many people in Benue 

give out their children in marriage at a very tender age. 

 

Displacement 
Following the invasion of villages and killing of local farmers in Benue by 

Fulani herdsmen, victims at the Internally Displaced Persons camps pass 

through unsavoury situations because of lack of food, clean water, medic and 

sleeping materials. In the midst of all these, teenage girls displaced by the 

conflict and settling in IDP camps have been at the receiving end of even 

more hardship. Many of them are being married off to men old enough to be 

their fathers because of the ever increasing poverty in the camps (Oche Peter, 

Oral Interview). In addition to this, This is Africa reports that at an IDP camp 

in Agan, Mercy Toso, 11, was married off to a man of about 40 years of age. 

Her mother,Ayiga, asserted that she married Mercy off because they did not 

have money for food, clean water and sleeping materials. Ayiga had lost her 

husband when the herdsmen attacked their village, leaving them with no one 

to provide for the family. She had no option than to give her daughter off in 

marriage for N5000.00 when the opportunity presented itself. 

 

Effects of Early Marriage on the Nigerian Society: The Benue Experience 

Child marriage in Benue as in other parts of Nigeria has enormous unpalatable 

impacts on the victims, their families and the society at large. The following 

are the major effects of child marriage on the Benue society:  



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Domestic Violence 
Early girl child marriage makes such children susceptible to domestic 

violence. Most men are inpatient when they marry a young girl forgetting the 

fact that the so called wife is a child that needs to be corrected with love. They 

unleash their anger at every mistake by the child, thereby causing 

physiological damage and psychological trauma to the child (Atim, 27). Often 

times such girls live in fear of the unknown, due to the series of abuses from 

the husband or his family members. Inflated injuries from violence or physical 

abuse pose a threat to her existence; it can lead to premature death. It’s on 

record that most girls lose their lives in the name of marriage;, for when they 

run back to their parents they are sent back., As such, they digest all the 

violence because they are made to believe that marriage is for better, for 

worse.  

 

Illiteracy 
Bayisenge (2012) rightly notes that in many parts of Benue, illiteracy has 

refused to abate despite attempts by successive governments to make 

education accessible to all. It is discovered that once a girl gets married, the 

parents stop educating her, believing that she does not need education once 

she is a wife. In most cases, during the marriage the man promises to send the 

girl to school but does not keep the promise as the girl is turned to baby 

making factory. This increases the rate of illiteracy among Benue people and 

kills so many bright people’s potential.  

 

Health Risks 
There are several health challenges that may occur as a result of early 

pregnancy. Ayenge (2018: 74) observes that “in most cases child marriage 

results in many issues one of which is Vesico Vaginal Fistula (VVF); this is a 

hole between the female vagina and the bladder, which erupts from a 

prolonged obstructed labour of a girl-child”. The child suffers this after child 

birth on a long run basis. During the period the girl-child leaks urine or feces 

sometimes uncontrollably. Often times VVF leads to chronic medical issues 

like constant infection, kidney diseases and infertility. Ordinarily, the girls 

face the challenges of severe pain during intercourse due to the fact that their 

sex organs are not developed enough.  

 

Adedokun, Tochukwu and Adedeji aver that the normal age for pregnancy is 

at least 18-20 years old, and if one gets pregnant earlier, there is a high risk 

that she will have to deal with health issues (51). Sometimes it is life-

threatening both for the mother and the baby, considering that healthcare in 

the rural areas is not entirely developed. This partly explains why there is still 

high rate of mother and child mortality during birth in Benue State. Other 

complications may also arise due to lack of proper medical care which results 

in so many health issues in the long run 



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Social Stigma 
Victims of child marriage are often sidelined by their friends and families. 

They hardly identify or associate in any occasion or ceremonies as they are 

enclosed to forced life of introvert. The stigma of lack of education, not being 

able to express one’s self among peers, or contribute to discussion or 

knowledge of the things happening in the community also affects the girl. 

 

The Way Forward 

In the light of the foregoing discourse, the following recommendations are 

necessary to stem the tide of early girl child marriage in Benue State: 

 

Education 
Education is central to the enhancement and improvement of the welfare of a 

nation as it reduces the impacts of poverty, improves health and nutrition, 

reduces inequality and increases the participation of women in the labour 

market. The research therefore recommends that Government and relevant 

authorities should create better programmes and policies that would allow and 

encourage children and even elderly parents to get educated. Education should 

be affordable and accessible to both male and female children equally. To 

buttress this, regular workshops and seminars organized by stakeholders such 

as government, health bodies, NGOs and religious bodies should be available 

for parents, intending parents as well as intending couples to enlighten them 

on the importance, significance of education as means to ensuring stability in 

marriages and empowering their love ones to prevent abuse and negligence. 

 

Awareness Creation 
The prevalence and dangers of child marriage has not received proper 

attention over the years. Many people claim they do not know the magnitude 

of the problem. It is therefore necessary to create more awareness on the rate 

and bad effects of child marriage in Benue. More people need to know about 

the problem and attempt to take action. The rural inhabitants need to be 

educated more about the consequences that child marriage can cause, and 

about the harm it can do to their children.  

 

Stricter Legislations 
One must observe that even though laws exist that prohibit child marriage, 

they are not strict enough and/or are not well executed. There is therefore need 

for a stricter law against child marriage as well as its execution. The problem 

should be frequently reported to the authorities who can punish people 

exploiting children. Maybe all the cases will not be prevented, but if at least 

some will, this is a victory.  

 

 

 



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Fighting Poverty 
It is a common realization that poverty is one of the biggest problems in 

Benue, and many people marry their children to strangers because they need 

money. All relevant authorities must take measures to resolve this issue, and if 

there is a smaller amount of struggling people in Benue, the child marriage 

rate will decrease too.  

 

Conclusion  

In Benue State as in many states of Nigeria, a lot of 10-12-year-old girls, 

whose reproductive system is not ready for intimate activities and childbirth 

yet, are forced by their parents into marriage. They are stopped from going to 

school and getting an education and are exploited for serving their husband 

and giving birth to children. The reasons usually adduced to perpetuate and 

defend the evil menace of child marriage include poverty, unwanted 

pregnancy, parental pressure, peer pressure and developmental stage among 

others. More so, it has a negative trend on the girl child which include; 

emotional and mental distress, intolerance, early widowhood, frustration and 

hatred for the man. The implications of early marriage on the girl-child that 

negatively impacts her wellbeing and that of the society include education, 

lack of economic empowerment and lack of knowledge on reproductive health 

services which will enable them take informed decisions, enhance their ability 

to leverage resources and participate in community decision making. It is 

therefore necessary for all Benue well-meaning sons and daughters to put 

hands on deck towards curbing this unhealthy practice. 

 

Works Cited 

Abdallah, B.A. “Girl Child Marriage and Women Development in Nigeria: 

Contemporary Issues”, Journal of Development and Psychology 14(9): 

2011. Print  

Adedokun, G. N. Tochukwu, H. E. and Adedeji, O.O.  “Early Childhood 

Marriage and Early Pregnancy as a Risk to Safe Motherhood”, A Report 

on the Regional Conference on Traditional Practices Affecting the 

Health of Women and Children in Africa, 19-20 Nov. 2012. Print  

Adekola, P. O., Akanbi, M. A., and Olawole-Isaac, A. “A Qualitative 

Assessment of the Effects of Child Marriage on Female Education and 

Entrepreneurship in Northeastern Nigeria,” International Journal of 

Scientific Research in Multidisciplinary Studies ISROSET, 2 (1), 7-15, 

2016.Print  

Alabi T., Bahah M., Alabi S.O. “The Girl-Child: A Sociological View on the 

Problems of Girl-Child Education in Nigeria.” European Scientific 

Journal, 10 (2) 06-13, 2014. Print  

Atim, G. “Girls not Brides: ending child marriage in Nigeria.” Journal of 

Gender, Information and Development in Africa (JGIDA), 6(1-2), 2017. 

Print  



EVAIA: International Journal of Ethics and Values, Volume 1, Number 2, October 2020 

 

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Ayenge, J., “Early marriage as a barrier to girl’s education: a developmental 

challenge in Africa”. Journal of Gender, Information and Development 

in Africa (JGIDA), 6(1-2), 2018. Print  

Bayisenge, J.  “Early Marriage as a Barrier to Girl’s Education: A 

Developmental Challenge in Africa”, Journal of Social Psychology 

12(6): 2012. Print  

Gage, H. Understanding the concept of Child Rearing in Sub-Saharan Africa, 

McGraw Hill, New York, 2011. Print  

ICRW “How to End Child Marriage: Action Strategies for Prevention and 

Protection” International Centre for Research on Women: USAID, New 

Delhi. [Online] 2007. Available: 

[https://www.icrw.org/publications/how-to-end-child-marriage/] 

Accessed Feb 2018. Print  

Jain, G., Bisen, V., Sing, S.K. & Jain, P. “Early marriage of girls as a barrier 

to their education”, International Journal of Advanced 

EngineeringTechnology 2011. Print  

Kanyi, B. For Better or for worse.Longman Publishers, Lagos, Nigeria, 2008. 

Print  

Maiangwa, B., &Amao, O. B. "Daughters, brides, and supporters of the Jihad: 

revisiting the gender-based atrocities of Boko Haram in Nigeria.” 

African Renaissance, 12(2), 117-144 Jan 2015. Print  

Malhotra, A. “Causes and consequences of child marriage: A perspective.” 

International Journal for Research on Women.2(2), 35-41, 2017. Print  

This is Africa. “Nigeria's IDP Camps - Where Child Marriages Take 

Place”.allAfrica.com. Accessed 20/03/2020. Print  

UNICEF, “The Effects of Traditional and Religious Practices of Child 

Marriage on Africa’s Socio-Economic Development: A Review of 

Research, Reports and Toolkits from Africa”. [Online] Oct 2015. 

Available: [https://au.int/sites/default/files/documents/31018-doc-

5465_ccmc_africa_report.pdf] Accessed March 16, 2018. Print  

Usugh, J. Future Options Foreclosed: Girls Who Marry Early. New York, 

USA: UNICEF, 2014. Print  

 

 

APPENDIX 

LIST OF INFORMANTS 

 
S/N NAME SEX AGE STATUS PLACE OF INTERVIEW DATE 

1 Iorpenda Moses M 59 Traditional Healer Gboko 12/05/2020 

2 Msugh Matthew M 67 Elder Ushongo 01/06/2020 

3 Oche Peter M 50 Chief Otukpo 09/06/2020 

 

http://thisisafrica.me/
https://allafrica.com/

