The Minister-designate for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Dakoa Newman has disclosed that the Attorney-General’s interim report advises the release of Naa Okromo, allegedly married to a 63-year-old Gborbu Wulomo in Nungua, Greater Accra Region to her family.
However, the child’s parents are required to sign a bond ensuring the protection of the child’s rights.
Briefing the media on the update on the issue on Thursday, Madam Newman noted that the decision to release the girl to her parents was in her best interests to continue her education and also in accordance with Sections 2 and 5 of the Children’s Act 1998 (Act 560).
She stated, “Naa Kromo’s date of birth on records at her crèche and primary schools she attended indicates that she is 15 years old, and she was born on the 18th of July 2008.”
The Minister-designate said the Social Welfare Department had taken the girl through counseling while a medical assessment conducted on her showed that she was a virgin.
“The medical assessment of the child indicates that she is not pregnant, she has no immediate health concerns,” she added.
The Deputy Attorney General, Mr Alfred Tua-Yeboah, noted that the Attorney-General’s Office had taken full delivery of the docket regarding the matter and instructed its officers to review it to ascertain whether, indeed, there was marriage and any cause for prosecution.
On his part, the Minister for Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Mr Stephen Asamoah Boateng, said investigations revealed that there was no marriage between Naa Okromo and the Gborbu Wulomo.
He noted that the purported video ceremony of the 63-year-old priest to the teenage girl was a traditional rite.
He stated, “It was a ritual which she had been initiated into since age six. All they did was elevate her status to a queen mother of that deity. So there was no marriage. There were some incidents of MCs embellishing it…but there was nothing like a marriage so if they say she was married underage, it didn’t happen.”
Mr Boateng explained that the ceremony on March 30, 2024, was just a ritual to elevate Naa Okromo to the status of Queen Mother.
Patience Anaadem, ISD