Bride Price for Non-Virgins Is Extortion — Reno Omokri

Former presidential aide Reno Omokri has sparked controversy by stating that bride price should only apply to women who are virgins at the time of marriage.

In a series of posts shared on his verified X handle on Sunday, August 3, Omokri argued that applying bride price to non-virgins distorts African tradition and amounts to extortion.

He began by clarifying the difference between bride price and dowry, noting that many Africans misuse both terms.

“There is a huge difference between a dowry and a bride price. But in this part of the world (Sub-Saharan Africa), we use them interchangeably. But they are not interchangeable,” he wrote.

Omokri explained that dowry refers to property given by the bride’s parents to her upon marriage. That property then becomes part of the new home and is jointly owned by the couple.

He supported this definition with a Biblical reference:

“This is in line with the Biblical injunction that a wife is a helper to her husband, not a burden—Genesis 2:18.”

He then argued that a bride price is traditionally paid by the groom to the bride’s family under the condition that she is a virgin.

According to him, African and Jewish cultures both held this as a strict requirement.

“A bride price, however, is different. In African culture, and Jewish traditions and law, it is the property or money demanded by a bride’s family to give her away in marriage to her intended husband, on the grounds that she is a virgin,” he stated.

Citing the customs of the Lukumi Yoruba and biblical passages, Omokri added that bride price could be refunded if a bride’s virginity was disproven on the wedding night.

“If the bride’s virginity is not proven by the aso funfun (white cloth used on the wedding night) being stained, the marriage is not valid, and the bride price will be returned,” he explained.

Omokri also warned against the decline of African cultural values. He blamed rising sexual freedom and the rejection of traditional practices for increasing rates of sexually transmitted diseases.

“If we in Africa do not return to these traditions… we will continue to be the dregs of the world,” he declared.

To end his argument, he slammed the concept of white weddings, saying they are neither African nor biblical.

“A white wedding is not our culture in Africa, and it is not a Christian wedding. It is purely a European traditional wedding,” he concluded.

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