Former presidential aide, Reno Omokri, has stated that bride price should only be paid for virgins, claiming that requesting money for a non-virgin under that pretext is essentially extortion.
Omokri shared his view on Sunday in a detailed post on his official X account.
He argued that many Africans confuse the concepts of dowry and bride price, noting that the two are often misinterpreted and wrongly used interchangeably, despite having distinct meanings and cultural origins.
“There is a huge difference between a dowry and a bride price,” he explained.
“However, in this part of the world (Sub-Saharan Africa), we often use the terms interchangeably — but they are not the same.
“A dowry is the money and property given to a female child on her wedding day by her parents, which she takes to her husband’s home. It becomes the joint property of both the husband and the wife.
“Dowry is practised in parts of Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. This practice aligns with the Biblical injunction that a wife is a helper to her husband, not a burden — Genesis 2:18”, his post partly read.
Reno Omokri, drew a distinction between dowry and bride price, explaining that the latter is deeply rooted in both African customs and Jewish law and, historically, applied only to virgins.
He explained, “A bride price, on the other hand, is different. In African culture, as well as in Jewish tradition and law, a bride price is the money or property given by a man to the family of a virgin woman to marry her. This is backed by Exodus 22:17, which states: ‘If her father absolutely refuses to give her to him, he must still pay the bride-price for virgins.’ Similarly, among the Lukumi Yoruba, if the bride’s virginity is not confirmed on the white cloth (aso funfun) after the marriage is consummated, the marriage is not considered valid, and the bride price is returned,” he said.
Omokri criticised the increasing monetisation of marriage rites, particularly in cases involving women who are not virgins. He argued that such practices are unjustified and exploitative, saying, “The excessive demand for money and property by some Sub-Saharan African ethnicities for a woman who is not a virgin is neither legally nor technically a bride price — it is extortion.”
Known for frequently drawing on religious references, Omokri further asserted that, from a biblical standpoint, the term “bride” is exclusively reserved for virgins.
“Scripturally, the term ‘bride’ is never used for a woman who is not a virgin. For example, Isaiah 62:5 says: ‘For as a young man marries a virgin, so your sons shall marry you; and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so your God will rejoice over you.’
“Also, Jeremiah 2:32 reads: ‘Can a virgin forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire?’ These verses show that bridehood is synonymous with virginity. Song of Solomon 4:12 is even more explicit: ‘A locked up garden is my sister, my bride; a locked up spring, a sealed fountain,’” he stated.
Using examples from scripture, Omokri argued that while it is acceptable for a man to marry a non-virgin, such a woman does not meet the criteria for a bride in the traditional or scriptural sense, and as such, a bride price should not apply.
“By African tradition and Scriptural law, a man may marry a woman who is not a virgin — but such a woman is not a bride, and no bride price should be paid for her. For instance, 1 Samuel 18:20-27 records that David paid a bride price for King Saul’s daughter, Michal. However, he did not pay any bride price for Abigail, as seen in 1 Samuel 25:40-42.”
He went on to warn that ignoring traditional and scriptural guidelines could lead African societies further into social decline.
“If we in Africa do not return to these time-honoured traditions and continue the moral decline in our society — where sex and sensuality are left unchecked — we will remain at the bottom rung of global development, plagued by high rates of sexually transmitted diseases and broken homes,” Omokri added.
In closing, he criticised the modern practice of white weddings in Africa, calling it a misrepresentation of European culture and unaligned with African values.
“Lastly, the White wedding is not African culture, and it is not a Christian wedding. It is a European traditional wedding. If we must adopt that tradition, then we should follow it accurately. In Europe, where the custom originates, it is not the groom or his family that pays for the wedding. It is traditionally the bride’s father who foots the bill. Industrial Money Obtainers, I hope you have heard?” he concluded.