Malam Ya'u the  father of a 13-year-old girl who was allegedly gang-raped by four youths in Tudun Rubudi, Ungogo local government in Kano has finally accepted the bizarre request from one of the suspects to marry his daughter.

According to reports, the assailants identified as Sani Isa, Usaini Ja'afar, Jamilu Sani and Isa Musa were arrested on December 2014 by the Kano State Hisbah Board's Dala Command after they were found naked at an uncompleted building shortly after they had forcefully raped the girl.

During interrogation, Hisbah officials said, three of the suspects had confessed to the said crime. The case took a funny twist  when one of the suspect known as Ja'afar asked to marry the girl, begging the father to give his blessings.

Speaking to a correspondent, Malam Ya'u confirmed the story saying he feels sad and disheartened over the plight of his little daughter.

"We were searching for the whereabouts of my daughter when we received the sad news. Being a mechanic, I was at my garage when the Hisbah called me. I couldn't believe what I heard," he said.

"But when all of them showed remorse, especially the one pleading to marry her, Ja'afar, I decided to temper justice with mercy," he said.

He further disclosed that Ja'afar has shown his seriousness about the marriage proposal by introducing his family to him.

"He came with his uncle, who it turned out I already knew and had a cordial relationship with," Malam Ya'u told Weekly Trust. "So I accepted the request and will marry her off to him. In fact, the date for the wedding has been fixed since. I decided to allow him marry the girl because our consultations with our Malams (Islamic clerics) showed that there is nothing wrong about that,"

"I told him the implication of what he's done and advised him to become a more responsible person who would be useful to himself and society."

"After pleas from all angles, I succumbed. However, we haven't taken chances, ensuring she undergo medical tests. Results have shown that she's okay," he added.

Meanwhile, Kano-based Islamic scholar Sheikh Fadlu Dan Almajiri Fagge has said that Islam does have a problem with a rapist marrying his victim, provided certain conditions are met.

He said, "First, the girl has to observe Istibira'i, a month period to ensure absence of pregnancy. The girl should not also be among those prohibited for the rapist. Provided those conditions are met, marriage can take place with the consent of the girl and her parents."

But while he said the sin of committing zina (adultery) and its punishment would be there for the rapist, "That cannot stop the marriage."

•BBN360