In a rare act of magnanimity, the Governor of Kano State, Abba Kabir Yusuf, stood as guardian to a man whose wife and six children were murdered in a terrorist attack.

The Kano State Government conducted a mass wedding for 1,500 couples on Friday at the Central Mosque of the Emir’s Palace.

One of the beneficiaries, Haruna Bashir, whose wife and children were reportedly murdered by suspected terrorists in the Chiranci area of Kano, married Rahinatu Rasheed Yunusa. The bride’s representative was the Emir of Kano, His Highness Muhammadu Sanusi II, while the governor stood in as the groom’s guardian. A dowry of N200,000 was paid for the marriage.

The mass wedding programme was simultaneously extended to beneficiaries across all 44 local government areas of the state. Under the initiative, each bride received N200,000 from the state government as a dowry, along with additional financial support to enable her to start a small-scale business.

Speaking during the ceremony at the Juma’at Mosque of the Emir’s Palace in Kano, the Commander-General of the Kano State Hisbah Board, Sheikh Aminu Ibrahim Daurawa, said the state government had provided additional support to Haruna Bashir to help him rebuild his life following the tragic loss of his family.

According to Daurawa, the government sponsored Bashir to perform the Umrah pilgrimage, facilitated his participation in the Hajj pilgrimage and provided him with a house in Amana City, Kano.

He said the interventions were aimed at easing the emotional and psychological burden resulting from the tragedy.

Daurawa also advised the newly married couples to uphold the sanctity of marriage, live peacefully with one another and build stable families that would contribute positively to society.

Special prayers were offered during the ceremony for lasting peace, stability and unity in Kano State and Nigeria as a whole.

The state government allocated about N300 million for the latest phase of the mass wedding programme, aimed at supporting widows and other eligible beneficiaries across the state.