A retiree, Mary Torkwase Antom, 58, from Tse Baraku Benue State, has taken a bold step to immortalize her late husband and late son’s names by marrying a 27-year-old lady.
She and her husband, Patrick, a retiree of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, were blessed with only one child, Thomas Awuhe, who was was in SS2 when he died in 2004. A year later, her husband also died.
So she made the move to secure not only the family name but also its property. A friend later told her about a pretty young unmarried lady, Juliet Muese, who was on the verge of being disowned by her parents over her inability to identify the person responsible for her pregnancy.
Mrs. Antom then sought Juliet’s hand in marriage for her dead son, in keeping with Tiv tradition. The parents of Juliet also readily agreed. “What I did is a well-known practice in our place and culture,” she said in defence.
“There are a lot of children, almost 18% of them born after their father’s death. These children answer their father’s name.” The marriage that took place in 2007, has produced two boys with the third child on the way.
“Juliet is comfortable answering my son’s name. She wrote JAMB and I’m processing her admission to the Federal University, Lafia,” she said,
On her part, Juliet says: “I have no problem, in fact I’m doing better than those who got married to living husbands. Hajia is planning to buy a car for me next year if I secure a university admission.
As you can see, I’m looking sweet and people toast me a lot, but I shun them. At the moment, I have a boyfriend who is a student at the state university, Keffi. My second son’s biological father who is a student at Keffi is married.
He is equally responsible for this very one l’m carrying, but he cannot come and claim them. So, there is no problem. I’m good to go.”
The village head in Doma LGA, Chief Angbande Hue, said what happened is a known tradition among his people, adding that the tradition was very rampant in the 60s.
