Widower who lost wife and 6 children in attack remarries in Nigerian mass wedding for 1,500 couples

KANO, Nigeria (AP) — For groom Haruna Bashir, this weekend's mass wedding event in Nigeria was more than a celebration — it was a hope-filled turning point after the months of pain and grief following the loss of his first wife and six children in a brutal attack earlier this year.

Bashir was among 1,500 couples being married on Friday and Saturday in a state-sponsored mass wedding organized by Abba Kabir Yusuf, the governor of the Kano state, in northern Nigeria.

For Bashir, the ceremony marks an opportunity to begin rebuilding his life after the tragic loss of his immediate family.

“Since the tragic incident, he hardly interacted with people. Today, he is gradually returning to normal life,” said Sheikh Aminu Ibrahim Daurawa, commander-general of the Kano State Hisbah Board, which coordinated the ceremony.

The mass wedding, the second organized under Yusuf’s administration, brought together widows and young women as part of a government effort to ease the financial burden of marriage on vulnerable families.

Daurawa said all the couples had undergone screening and counseling before the ceremony and that all religious and legal requirements had been fulfilled.

Similar marriage ceremonies were held simultaneously across Kano’s 44 local government areas, according to the state government.

Each bride was to receive 200,000 naira ($145) as a dowry and to provide startup capital for a small business. The couples also received household items, including beds, mattresses, blankets, bed sheets and rugs.

Yusuf described the initiative as a “bold social intervention aimed at restoring hope and supporting dignified family life in Kano.”

“The program was designed not only to assist women who might otherwise struggle to afford marriage, but also to strengthen families and promote social stability in the state,” Yusuf said.

He said the mass wedding was part of his administration’s broader social welfare efforts to strengthen family institutions and promote a more peaceful and cohesive society.

Kano Chief Imam Prof. Sani Zahraddeen offered prayers for the newly married couples, asking for divine guidance, blessings and lasting harmony in their homes.

Some beneficiaries expressed gratitude to the state government, describing the program as an opportunity to begin a new chapter of their lives with dignity and hope.

Malama Ainau Mudi, a 38-year-old widow, said: “Today’s date will never be forgotten in my life. My husband died four years ago, and today I wed my new husband whose love and caring will ease my years of being a widow.''

Kano, Nigeria’s most populous state and a major center of Islamic culture, has organized mass weddings for years as part of efforts to support widows, divorcees and young women facing economic hardship.

The practice gained prominence under successive state administrations, with governments providing couples with wedding necessities and financial assistance.

The initiative comes amid broader economic pressures facing families in northern Nigeria, where the rising cost of living has made marriage increasingly difficult for young people and vulnerable households.

Dr. Musa Abdullahi, a university lecturer and social welfare expert, described the initiative as a measure that could help address some social challenges in society.

He said programs that reduce the economic barriers to marriage could contribute to family stability, particularly among vulnerable groups, but cautioned that such initiatives should be accompanied by broader economic and social support programs.

Kano's government has portrayed its mass-wedding program as part of its broader social intervention policies aimed at reducing economic hardship and supporting vulnerable residents.

Yusuf, who assumed office in 2023, has made social welfare programs a prominent part of his administration’s agenda.

For Bashir, the support came at a moment when rebuilding a life after profound loss may have seemed impossible.

Like many of the other hundreds of couples, the ceremony has given him a chance to start again.