The desire of a 34-year-old mason, Ziblim Nashiru, a resident of Tamale, to have a wife to spend the rest of his life with ended under bizarre circumstances, making the groom the laughing stock of his community.
Nashiru, who had his Islamic wedding with Shafau Mohammed, a community health assistant under the National Youth Employment Programme, last Sunday, was shocked when his bride gave birth less than 24 hours after the marriage ceremony.
Residents of Changli, their suburb where the Islamic ceremony took place, are yet to come to terms with the reality that the chosen bride for the mason was delivered of a baby boy moments into the cou-ple's honeymoon.
The baby, who is currently being nurtured in an incubator at the Tamale Teaching Hospital, Daily Guide investigations have uncovered, was not due for delivery as doctors indicated it was supposed to have lived in its mother's womb for some time.
Ziblim Nashiru, who lives in Zambarama house, has since denied responsibility for the baby and the pregnancy and instructed his kinsmen to get the woman out of his house. He said if he had been aware of the pregnancy, he would not have gone ahead with the Islamic wedding.
Snippets of information gathered by Daily Guide revealed that the two had been courting for over a year now and decided to marry after the man proposed. It was rumored in the community that the lady in question was pregnant, thus prompting the man to confront her to confirm the allegation or otherwise.
The bride vehemently denied ever being pregnant and accused the relations of the man of trying to sabotage her marriage which she had long dreamt of. Sisters of the man reportedly insisted the man take his wife to the hospital for thorough investigation into the pregnancy but their call fell on deaf ears until the man was given the shock of his life on Monday.
According to some guests at the wedding ceremony last Sunday, the bride and his groom were all smiles after the recitation of the Koran, followed by prayers preceding the party that officially pronounced the two, husband and wife.
Later in the evening, the woman after supper was reported to have complained of severe abdominal pains but before she could be rushed to the hospital, she delivered, causing fear and panic in the entire vicinity.
Some residents dispelled reports that the woman had given birth until they saw her being taken to the hospital for further medical attention.Doctors at the health facility realised that it was premature birth and demanded that the baby be placed in an incubator.
Meanwhile, the husband insists that the woman look for the biological father of the baby since he did not sire the baby.
All attempts to speak to the groom proved futile.
<<Print>>