Wedding bells ring in Borno

temitope a

May 25, 2016 10:57 AM

The seven year war launched by Boko Haram insurgents seeking to carve out an Islamic caliphate in Northern Nigeria now seems to be under firm control as youth in Borno State now celebrate marriages.

Boko Haram fighters had captured communities, killed thousands and rendered millions of people homeless. The Nigeria military has now taken over most of the communities earlier captured by the insurgents.

“For the past four out of the seven years of the Boko Haram crises, we hardly celebrate marriages. We are now happy that now, some of us are now celebrating their marriages,” a resident of Maiduguri, Mala Usman said.

This wedding took place in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital. Apart from underscoring the return of peace in the city, the wedding showed coming together of two interesting cultures - Alganba and the Shua Arab people of Maiduguri.

The Alganbas are migrants from Niger Republic who are mainly hired as domestic workers by wealthy residents.

Culturally, Alganbas don't marry outside their nucleolus family but this wedding confirmed the saying ‘love conquers all’.