Stephen Enoch
Nadiya Yusuf* has been married to her husband for the past ten years.
They got married in 2015, but since then, she says her life has felt like a prison without walls.
She told Stallion Times that since she got married, her husband has denied her the right to movement.
“From the very beginning, I was kept indoors.
“He stopped me from going out, from mingling with people, and even from being part of society.
“Till today, I do not know what I did to deserve this,” she told Stallion Times.
She recalls how every attempt to build a life outside the home was met with anger and punishment.
“I remember when I told him I wanted to get a job or start a small business, even if it’s within the neighbourhood. That was when the real trouble started.
“As a way to stop me from stepping outside, he removed all the locks in the house and seized every key, including the gate padlocks, so that I would have no choice but to stay inside,” Nadiya narrated.
According to Nadiya, the future she wanted was slowly crushed, one after another.
She vehemently stated that her husband is very educated, has a ‘high-paying’ stable job and has a stable source of income.
She added: “I told him I wanted to further my education and get a university degree, but he said ‘No’.
“I asked if I could attend a computer school to learn basic IT skills and maybe do remote jobs, but he said, ‘No.’”
Each request, she says, was treated like an act of rebellion.
Nadiya Yusuf – Photo- Stephen Enoch
“When I continued to insist, he became furious and left the house for almost a week. That was his way of punishing me. Silence and abandonment,” Nadiya said.
Today, she has four children with him. But she believes the damage goes beyond herself.
“My children don’t even understand what a normal family looks like.
“I am in bondage, and so are they,” she revealed, her voice shaking.
Nadiya recalls that three of her children never had naming ceremonies, a cultural and emotional milestone for many families.
One night still haunts her deeply.
“Our first son had a very high fever. He needed urgent tests and treatment at the hospital.
“I prepared myself to follow my husband with our child. But suddenly, he sent me back to the house, refusing to let me join him at the hospital,” she said.
She paused and broke into tears.
After she regained her composure, Nadiya continued speaking.
“I stayed back and cried that entire night. I kept asking myself, What have I done to deserve this kind of treatment?” she questioned.
Her cries for help eventually reached her parents.
According to Nadiya, because she complained so much about being trapped and denied freedom, her father bought a car to aid her mobility.
“But my husband seized the car keys. Till today, I cannot drive or even use the car. It is just parked there wasting away like my life,” she lamented.
Other Deprivations
The deprivation extends to their children.
She explained that after the third term this year, her husband refused to pay school fees for the first two children.
She added: “They have been out of school for more than four months now.
“Our last child is of school age and should have started, but he said it is not yet time.”
Feeding the family has also become a daily struggle.
“He sends ₦4,000 daily for feeding me and four children.
“What can ₦4,000 do? If I was allowed to work or run a business, I wouldn’t even need his money. I would have taken care of my children myself,” she told this reporter.
Allegations of Mental Illness
Perhaps the deepest wound, she says, is the damage to her dignity.
She alleged that her husband tells neighbours that she is mentally ill.
“He tells people I have been admitted into a psychiatric hospital and that I am under close monitoring,” she said, fighting back tears.
She recalls an incident that finally broke her.
“Some months ago, his friends came to visit. He stopped me from sitting in the living room with them.
“He sent me away like I was nothing,” she stated.
She eavesdropped on their conversation from another room.
“When his friends asked why I wasn’t there, he told them I had a mental problem.
“That was when everything came rushing back. The isolation, the humiliation, the lost years.
“I felt completely broken.
“I stayed in this marriage because of my children. But now, I know it is no longer working, and I want a divorce,” Nadiya revealed.
What The Law Says
Barrister Fatima Suleiman, a human rights lawyer in Kano, states that under the Nigerian Constitution, a husband has no right to restrict his wife’s freedom of movement, employment, or education, as these are fundamental rights.
She stated that the 1999 Constitution guarantees freedom of movement, prohibits discrimination based on sex, and protects personal dignity and privacy.
She explained that in states like Kano that apply Islamic law, a complex legal duality exists.
“Under international treaties Nigeria has ratified, such actions are clear human rights violations. Confinement breaches the right to liberty, restricting employment violates the right to work, and such discrimination is prohibited.
“The African Charter is part of Nigerian domestic law and can be enforced in courts.
“Practical remedies include seeking protection or filing civil suits for rights enforcement, or pursuing criminal prosecution for unlawful confinement.
“Within Islamic law, women have the right to economic independence and can petition a Sharia court to enforce maintenance or seek a judicial divorce due to harm,” she told Stallion Times.
Human Rights Commission Steps in
Shehu Abdullahi, the Kano State Coordinator of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), said the woman’s experience reflects a wider problem where abuse within marriage is often ignored because of cultural beliefs.
He explained that although the victim had endured restrictions and degrading treatment for over ten years, she only reported the case to the Commission around 2022–2023, after which the NHRC began engaging her husband and family members.
According to him, such treatment can cause severe physical and psychological harm, including depression and loss of life.
Shehu Abdullahi – Kano Human Rights Commission Chairman – Photo: Stephen Enoch
“Nadiya’s husband denied the allegations and even attempted to intimidate the victim, falsely accusing her of lying and claiming influence over the Commission.
“Denying a woman freedom of movement, education, work, and basic care is a gross violation of her fundamental rights.
“She now seeks a divorce, which the NHRC will pursue through mediation or the courts if necessary,” Abdullahi said.
He warned that silence in marriages where human rights are violated often leads to tragic outcomes and urged victims to speak out and seek help.
Editor’s note: the name marked with * isn’t the real name of the source. This was done to grant her anonymity due to the severity of her situation.
This story is supported by HumAngle’s 2025 SCOJA fellowship.
