Ghanaian media personality and entertainment pundit, Halifax Ansah-Addo, has defended the controversial ceremony involving a young girl and the Gborbu Wulomo shrine.

The ceremony, which had been widely reported as a marriage, has gained international attention as well as government intervention.

However, speaking during the recent edition of United Showbiz on April 6, 2024, Halifax blamed the media's portrayal of the event for the controversy and emphasised that the girl's role is purely traditional and religious, not marital.

According to Halifax, customary laws, which are deeply rooted in the practices of local communities, govern the proceedings.

“I blame the media and how they reported it. The reports attracted the attention of the international community, and the government had to do its PR and say they were rescuing or saving the girl. It doesn't lie in my mouth, your mouth, or the mouth of the gender ministry to describe what happened as customary marriage. The people in that community can best describe it as a marriage.

“The rules of that ‘marriage’ say that the girl would not perform any wifely duties; as long as she works on this deity, she must remain a virgin. Is that how we marry? Every work she does is for the deity. She has freedom of worship,” he stated.

He also pointed out that the girl, identified as Naa Ayemoade, has not been married or engaged to the chief priest, but is instead bound to serve the deity while maintaining her virginity until she reaches adulthood.

“Naa Ayemoade, under no stretch of logical analysis, has either been betrothed, engaged, wedded, or married to the chief priest. Her role is a purely traditional and religious one for a particular deity.

“It is not a marriage in the sense of marriage, just that because of the absence of a proper word, people called it a marriage. It was more of a joining of her to the shrine. When she’s 18, she can leave the shrine and marry any man of her choice,” he clarified.

Halifax also pointed out that Naa Ayemoade continues to attend school and has not been deprived of any rights, saying, “No right to a child has been taken from her. Her marital rights when she grows up are still very intact. So, I do not see how this one dehumanises the girl.”

He accused the public and authorities of prematurely labelling the chief priest without evidence and called for due process and respect for the individual's rights.

“We've just maligned him and called him a paedophile without any shred of evidence. As I'm talking today, the man is completely innocent unless a court of competent jurisdiction pronounces him guilty. Unless the police bring some new findings against him; until those things happen, let's show the man some respect. Let's give him the benefit of the doubt. Even the shrine said they were against child marriage, but nobody reported on that,” he said.

What happened?

In late March 2024, reports accompanied by videos showed the Gborbu Wulomo of Nungua partaking in a marriage-like ceremony with a young girl reported to be 12 years old.

The controversial event occurred on Saturday, March 30, 2024, at Nungua, drawing widespread attention and criticism from both local and international communities.

It also sparked public outrage among Ghanaians on social media and calls for arrest by groups like African Education Watch.

The police have since placed the girl and her mother under protection and are investigating the matter with support from social welfare agencies.

The office of the Gborbu Wulomo-Shrine defended the ceremony, stating it was a traditional rite not involving marriage or sexual relations, and that the girl's role was purely religious and traditional.

They clarified that the girl, initially reported as 12, is 16 and has been groomed for this role since birth.

Meanwhile, the Attorney-General's Office in Ghana has directed the CID to investigate the alleged marriage, which could constitute a criminal offence under the Children's Act.

Watch the video below

Show Gborbu Wulomo some respect; No right of a child has been taken from Naa Okromo - Nii Halifax#UnitedShowbiz pic.twitter.com/ijgLqgx7Ko

— UTV Ghana (@utvghana) April 6, 2024