The deposed District Head of Kuraye in Katsina, Alhaji Abubakar Abdullahi Ahmadu, has clarified on the circumstances surrounding his approval of a marriage between a couple who are patients of Acquired ImmunoDeficiency Syndrome (AIDS).
In a statement made public in Katsina, the deposed district head said the couple had approached him to preside over their marriage as the legal guardian of one of them, adding that in compliance with the law on stigmatisation of the people with HIV, “I led them to the relevant medical doctor and later the State Agency for the Control of AIDS (SACA).
“They were appropriately counselled on this marriage and they both agreed to abide by the rules involved.”
In Katsina, the law demands that couples getting married have to be tested against AIDS and carry out tests on genotype to be sure they are not infected.
Ahmadu explained that “in such cases, it is well known that where one is or both of the partners are HIV positive, the rule on stigmatisation and discrimination precludes any issue of a medical certificate.
“All the facts of this case, including the letter of agreement by the man, the drugs recommended by the medical doctor, the SACA counselling and the agreement on confidentiality were presented to the state government.”
He said he was responding to the two letters sent to him from both the Katsina Emirate Council and the state government in view of the contradictions in them.
Alhaji Ahmadu said “the first letter was received by me from the respected Katsina Emirate Council, which partly states that I was retired based on the instruction from the state government.
“The second letter was in the form of a press release by the state Government Director of Press, which stated that I was retired based on the approval of recommendation by the Katsina Emirate Council on a purported offence of presiding over a marriage contract without a medical certificate, as one of the parties is HIV positive.
“With due respect, the government and the emirate council seem to throw the blame at each other, even though the so-called petition was written to the state government which originated the whole process and not the emirate council, where I am its employee as a district head.”
