A 23-year-old Nigerian from Kano State, Isa Suleiman, finally got married to his American heartthrob, Janine Sanchez, 46, on Sunday.
Ms Sanchez said she met Mr Suleiman ‘about 10 months ago’ on Instagram.
The Islamic wedding held at the Barracks Mosque in Panshekara in Kano metropolis.
The wedding was attended by many well-wishers including a former Kaduna senator, Shehu Sani.
Ms Sanchez said she fell in love with Mr Sulaiman after they met about 10 months ago on the social networking platform, Instagram.
“He messaged me on Instagram saying Hi.
“I didn’t respond because I have had experiences with Nigerian scammers.
“But there was a guy messaging me and Suleiman knew he was a scammer so he said ‘get a job and quit scamming innocent people’. So I thought he sounded like a nice guy.”
On his part, Mr Suleiman said he had always fantasized about marrying a white woman and fathering mixed-race kids.
“It was a dream come true for me when she responded to my message.
“We continued exchanging messages and our relationship became closer.”
“I, therefore, invited her to visit me in Kano,” said Mr Suleiman
Going to America
Ms Sanchez, a chef based in Lindon, California, said she would be taking her husband back to the U.S. after the marriage.
“I have two kids – a boy and a girl – from my previous marriage. As we have joint custody with my ex-husband, I cannot take the kids away from their father.”
Mr Suleiman, a barber and student, popularly known as ‘Babayaro’, said that is not a problem.
“I will be visiting my parents and other relations regularly. And she has agreed that even our future kids will be coming to Nigeria to visit my family,” he said.
Age just a Number
“I wasn’t looking to date anybody younger than 30 but he is very mature for his age.
“When I talk to him I feel like I’m talking to somebody my age,” Ms Sanchez said.
“The age difference doesn’t matter as Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h) married an older woman too. So I’m following in his Sunnah,” Mr Suleiman interjected.
Meanwhile, Mr Suleiman’s family is happy about the marriage but worried about the religious implication.
Mr Suleiman’s mother, Fatima, said that she agreed to the marriage and his relocation to the USA.
“I’m very happy. My whole family have become celebrities in the Panshekara area, we are now singled out as the in-laws of a white woman.
“I pray for Allah’s protection as Suleiman leaves for America.” the mother said.
However, Mr Suleiman’s elder brother, Yakubu Sulaiman-Isa, sounded a note of caution.
“This is the will of God. We have only good wishes for the couple.
“But my prayer is that he retains his Islamic religion wherever he finds himself,” he said.
Similarly, the father of the groom, while answering questions from journalists at his residence in Panshekara, said he would give his son all the necessary support required to ensure a successful marriage.
The father, however, said he would involve security agencies like the State Security Service, SSS, to ensure everything is done legally.
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