The Periscopes reporter
Husbands and wives as friends in Gombi local government, central senatorial district of Adamawa state, northeast Nigeria, were few years ago, reported to have been engaged in a debate on polygamy; to be or not to be tolerated.
Contributing, one of the wives said, painful as it might be, it’s a man’s world. He’s given the chance to marry up to four wives as a Muslim. In other cultures a man might marry more than four wives and even keep concubines.
Another wife has a different view. She’s not meant to share husband as wives with any woman. She won’t mind however, if her husband would have other women for promiscuity provided that he would not have his partners as his wives.
She was apparently not bothered about the risk with HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases. She said she would razed down the house with the both the dwellers if her husband dared marry another wife.
The men were all laughing. She looked so serious. They thought it was a joke. Her husband eventually told his friends that he has got an automatic license for mischief. They told him that it was indeed a license to hell. His wicked wife meant no well to both of them.
Litle this reporter did know that Gombi would have a translate reality of what was earlier debated and almost forgotten.
About nine years later at Anguwan Faransa in Gombi town, a-23 year old wife by name Zainab Auwalu, who was though years away from the husbands and wives as friends debate on polygamy, decided to burn her husband’s house to kill his second wife owing to rivalry; translating the “not to be.”
The hatred she has against her husband for marrying a second wife has resulted in also burning down the compound the second wife and neighbours were living in as tenants.
The police was invited to intervene. Zainab who would not control her jealousy was eventually arrested to be able to keep the second wife alive and unhurt.
Can the husband maintain the polygamy even after the arrest of the first wife?
In a press release Wednesday, issued by the Police Public Relations Officer, Adamawa State Police Command, DSP Suleiman Yahya Nguroje, confirming the arrest, Nguroje explained that “Zainab happened to be the first wife to Auwal before he took in Aisha as the second wife, two weeks ago.
“The Husband (Auwal) rented a separate apartment for the second wife (Aisha) in oder to keep away from Zainab, the first wife’s troubles.
“On Sunday, April 19, 2020, between the hours of 6am and 7am, the first wife (Zainab) bought a gallon of petrol and deliberately set the house of the second wife (Aisha) intending to kill her. Luckily Aisha the second wife escaped the attack but the house and all her belongings got burnt.
“The fire escalated and burnt down another three apartments being occupied by neighbours.
“The command wishes to advice members of the public to stop taking laws into their hands and shun any act capable of disrupting the peace of the public.”
Commenting on the incident, some community elders in Gombi lamented that it was just unfortunate that Satan has paid a visit in a holy month of Sha’aban when the Ummah were getting set to welcome the month of Ramadan in peace, with peace.
“The world is united in waging a war against the COVID-19 to stop killing but a woman, out of jealousy and ignorance is inviting death to invade our community.
“We’re happy with the intervention of police. The law should just have to take its course,” they remarked.