Sulaiman Muhammad, younger brother to Abubakar Muhammad, late officer of the Nigerian air force (NAF), has explained why he married his fiancée — about five weeks after his demise.
Abubakar was said to have been among the NAF operatives killed during a gun duel with armed bandits at Ungwan Laya axis of Birnin Gwari, Kaduna state, on February 13.
His death had come three weeks to his wedding to Hajara — which was higly publicised on several social media platforms.
Few weeks after Abubakar’s demise, Sulaiman and Hajara had tied the knot on March 20.
Their marriage has continued to generate intense controversies on social media platforms with many users expressing different views over the union.
But in an interview with BBC Pidgin, Sulaiman explained that the marriage took place at the instance of Hajara following his elder brother’s death.
“Abubakar was my immediate elder brother and I loved him so much that his death really pained me. So, what actually happened was that after his death, his fiancée’s family sent a message to us,” he said.
“The message was that she (Hajara) said she likes me and that instead of calling off the wedding which was just three weeks away at the time, it would be better that I replace my late brother and marry her. Today, we are married.”
The bridegroom also said he had to explain to his previous girlfriend at the time the incident took place, adding that he was glad that she understood the situation.
Sulaiman said that his marriage to Hajara got the backing of both families.
“I had a girlfriend prior to the incident but I believe what happened has been destined to be so. I’m glad that my ex-girlfriend accepted it that way. Both families supported what we did and that is the most important thing,” he said.
Sulaiman, who works as an interior designer, said he remains unperturbed by comments on social media over his marriage to Hajara.
“It was even my friend that showed me some of the comments but that did not bother me at all because God has already bless our wedding. In fact, it rained on our wedding day to show God’s blessings,” he added.