Widower who lost wife and 6 children in attack remarries in Nigerian mass wedding for 1,500 couples

Widower who lost wife and 6 children in attack remarries in Nigerian mass wedding for 1,500 couples 1 of 4 | Nigerian brides attend a mass wedding ceremony in Kano, Nigeria, Saturday, Aug 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Sani Maikatanga) 2 of 4 | Nigerian grooms attend a mass wedding ceremony in Kano, Nigeria, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Sani Maikatanga) 3 of 4 | Nigerian brides attend a mass wedding ceremony in Kano, Nigeria, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Sani Maikatanga) 4 of 4 | Nigerian brides and grooms arrive for a mass wedding ceremony in Kano, Nigeria, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Sani Maikatanga) 1 of 4 | Nigerian brides attend a mass wedding ceremony in Kano, Nigeria, Saturday, Aug 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Sani Maikatanga) 1 of 4 Nigerian brides attend a mass wedding ceremony in Kano, Nigeria, Saturday, Aug 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Sani Maikatanga) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share 2 of 4 | Nigerian grooms attend a mass wedding ceremony in Kano, Nigeria, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Sani Maikatanga) 2 of 4 Nigerian grooms attend a mass wedding ceremony in Kano, Nigeria, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Sani Maikatanga) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share 3 of 4 | Nigerian brides attend a mass wedding ceremony in Kano, Nigeria, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Sani Maikatanga) 3 of 4 Nigerian brides attend a mass wedding ceremony in Kano, Nigeria, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Sani Maikatanga) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share 4 of 4 | Nigerian brides and grooms arrive for a mass wedding ceremony in Kano, Nigeria, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Sani Maikatanga) 4 of 4 Nigerian brides and grooms arrive for a mass wedding ceremony in Kano, Nigeria, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Sani Maikatanga) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Updated [hour]:[minute] [AMPM] [timezone], [monthFull] [day], [year] Kano, Nigeria (AP) — For groom Haruna Bashir, this weekend’s mass wedding event in Nigeria was more than a celebration — it was a hope-filled turning point after the months of pain and grief following the loss of his first wife and six children in a brutal attack earlier this year.Bashir was among 1,500 couples being married on Friday and Saturday in a state-sponsored mass wedding organized by Abba Kabir Yusuf, the governor of the Kano state, in northern Nigeria.For Bashir, the ceremony marks an opportunity to begin rebuilding his life after the tragic loss of his immediate family.“Since the tragic incident, he hardly interacted with people. Today, he is gradually returning to normal life,” said Sheikh Aminu Ibrahim Daurawa, commander-general of the Kano State Hisbah Board, which coordinated the ceremony.The mass wedding, the second organized under Yusuf’s administration, brought together widows and young women as part of a government effort to ease the financial burden of marriage on vulnerable families.Daurawa said all the couples had undergone screening and counseling before the ceremony and that all religious and legal requirements had been fulfilled. State funding for a fresh startSimilar marriage ceremonies were held simultaneously across Kano’s 44 local government areas, according to the state government.Each bride was to receive 200,000 naira ($145) as a dowry and to provide startup capital for a small business. The couples also received household items, including beds, mattresses, blankets, bed sheets and rugs.