Ghanaian priest, 63, sparks outrage after marrying 12-year-old girl

An influential 63-year-old priest has sparked outrage in Ghana after marrying a 12-year-old girl who was selected to be his wife at the age of six. 

 The priest, also known as a Gborbu Wulomo, Nuumo Borketey Laweh Tsuru XXXIII, married the child in a customary ceremony held in Nungua, Krowor, on Saturday. As the priest faces backlash from outsiders, community leaders in the area have said that people do not understand their customs and traditions, which saw the young girl being told to prepare for wifely duties and boost her ‘s3x appeal’ with perfume she had been gifted. 

 ‘In Nungua, the air is thick with tradition as the customary marriage between Gborbu Wulomo, Nuumo Borketey Laweh Tsuru XXXIII, and a young girl named ‘Naa Okromo’ unfolds,’ said local news channel Ablade TV Online on its Facebook page. According to the post, the 12-year-old wife of the priest is part of his assumption of authority.

 ‘According to tradition, the Gborbu Wulomo, having assumed his authority must also take a ‘Boi ekpaa yoo’, his customary wife,’ the post added. 

 The girl reportedly still has further rites to carry out until the union is complete.

She is set to undergo a second customary ceremony – one centered on ‘purification’.

‘This rite will empower her to fulfil all the duties expected of her as the wife of Gborbu Wulomo, including the crucial role of procreation,’ the post said.

Footage of the elaborate event show dozens of community members gathered to witness the wedding, triggering an outcry from several Ghanaians.

During the ceremony, women speaking in the local language Ga told the girl to dress teasingly for her new husband.

This sparked outrage as it suggested the marriage was not purely ceremonial.

Several critics have demanded the authorities to dissolve the marriage and investigate Tsuru.

Under the Facebook post, one concerned Ghanaian wrote: ‘Customary wife??? Child marriage is criminalised in Ghana and no rite that violates a girl’s rights to achieve her full potential should be celebrated’.

Another said: ‘There are so many things wrong with this country, and this is one of them!?? How is a 12-year-old becoming a wife in 2024?! Is this some silly joke???’

One more added: ‘I hope that this is a joke and also that the Gender Ministry and the Police have started work to establish the facts around this.

‘We want and cherish our custom but not the part that says hand out a 12-year -old girl to a 63-year-old man’.

The Ghanaian government are yet to respond to the controversial marriage.

The legal minimum age to get married in Ghana is 18 and although the numbers of child marriage in the country has been on the decline, it continues to happen in some areas and communities.