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

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.

Similar 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.

Yusuf described the initiative as a “bold social intervention aimed at restoring hope and supporting dignified family life in Kano.”

“The program was designed not only to assist women who might otherwise struggle to afford marriage, but also to strengthen families and promote social stability in the state,” Yusuf said.

He said the mass wedding was part of his administration’s broader social welfare efforts to strengthen family institutions and promote a more peaceful and cohesive society.

Kano Chief Imam Prof. Sani Zahraddeen offered prayers for the newly married couples, asking for divine guidance, blessings and lasting harmony in their homes.

Some beneficiaries expressed gratitude to the state government, describing the program as an opportunity to begin a new chapter of their lives with dignity and hope.

Malama Ainau Mudi, a 38-year-old widow, said: “Today’s date will never be forgotten in my life. My husband died four years ago, and today I wed my new husband whose love and caring will ease my years of being a widow.''

Kano, Nigeria’s most populous state and a major center of Islamic culture, has organized mass weddings for years as part of efforts to support widows, divorcees and young women facing economic hardship.

The practice gained prominence under successive state administrations, with governments providing couples with wedding necessities and financial assistance.

The initiative comes amid broader economic pressures facing families in northern Nigeria, where the rising cost of living has made marriage increasingly difficult for young people and vulnerable households.

Dr. Musa Abdullahi, a university lecturer and social welfare expert, described the initiative as a measure that could help address some social challenges in society.

He said programs that reduce the economic barriers to marriage could contribute to family stability, particularly among vulnerable groups, but cautioned that such initiatives should be accompanied by broader economic and social support programs.

Kano's government has portrayed its mass-wedding program as part of its broader social intervention policies aimed at reducing economic hardship and supporting vulnerable residents.

Yusuf, who assumed office in 2023, has made social welfare programs a prominent part of his administration’s agenda.

For Bashir, the support came at a moment when rebuilding a life after profound loss may have seemed impossible.

Like many of the other hundreds of couples, the ceremony has given him a chance to start again.

Nigerian brides and grooms arrive for a mass wedding ceremony in Kano, Nigeria, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Sani Maikatanga)

Nigerian brides attend a mass wedding ceremony in Kano, Nigeria, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Sani Maikatanga)

Nigerian grooms attend a mass wedding ceremony in Kano, Nigeria, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Sani Maikatanga)

Nigerian brides attend a mass wedding ceremony in Kano, Nigeria, Saturday, Aug 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Sani Maikatanga)

BANGKOK (AP) — Floodwaters in Thailand ’s capital were slowly receding on Monday after nearly continuous rainfall over the weekend, although some neighborhoods and major roads remained inundated.

Rain continued intermittently, but Bangkok city officials said conditions had improved enough to accelerate drainage efforts. Water levels in four main canals had risen too high over the weekend to take in runoff from surrounding communities.

More rain was forecast across much of Thailand, although Bangkok was expected to receive less. Cambodia and Myanmar were also experiencing severe weather.

The weekend flooding affected 329,000 households, or about 700,000 people, the Bangkok Flood Control Center reported, according to Deputy Gov. Tavida Kamolvej. Thai media reported two flood-related deaths in the city and at least 10 nationwide.

Gov. Chadchart Sittipunt declared a flood emergency Saturday across all 50 city districts, although some were relatively unscathed. He said authorities were prioritizing assistance for vulnerable residents, including older people and those with disabilities, by delivering supplies or evacuating them. City officials said nearly 7,000 people were staying in shelters.

Neighborhoods in eastern Bangkok were hit hardest. Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul donned white rain boots Sunday night to inspect a heavily flooded housing estate in Bang Kapi district and help distribute relief supplies.

Water was about knee-deep Monday near a train station and shopping mall in Bang Kapi. Despite intermittent downpours, shoppers waded through the water carrying bags, backpacks and boxes of groceries. Some traveled to and from the station in a small boat provided by the mall.

For Naowarat Supanikorn, a 55-year-old maid who shares a single-story house with three dogs and six cats, the flooding was more than an inconvenience.

She said she realized at about 1:30 a.m. on Saturday that water was seeping into her home.

“I had to take my dogs and cats out,” she said. “I had to leave them with my neighbor. I have taken them back today because they said the sun would come out, but it looks like the rain will come back.”

She said the flooding in her neighborhood reached above her hips at its highest, and had since dropped to about knee-level. She said the bigger problem is that she has lost her job working at a condominium.

“My workplace also said if I can’t come to work, they’re happy to take my resignation. So I thought, that’s fine, I’ll quit.”

To try to generate some income, she bought supplies to make some food she can sell streetside, but business is slow in the flooded conditions.

“It’s stressful. If the bills come, I’d be cooked, because I don’t have work now. If I have to pay for water or electricity now it would be bad,” she said. “I’m not worried about me but I’m worried about my pets. I’ve lived with them my whole life. They’re my priority. It’s ok if I don’t have work and starve myself, but I’d like help for my pets.”

The flood also has had knock-on effects, including panic buying of food, disrupted supply chains for food and other items, and staffing problems at various enterprises whose employees were unable to get to their jobs.

The Thai Air Force announced it was sending 69 ground personnel to Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport to help clear a backlog of passenger luggage caused largely by airport workers being unable to get to their place of work.

“This deployment is a vital mission to care for, assist, and facilitate travelers — including tourists from around the world — ensuring smooth operations and preventing delays in ground services, thereby upholding the nation’s positive image,” the air force said.

The airport previously attributed the baggage pileup to “insufficient staffing to support ground handling operations” and problems with some baggage carts.

The disruptions delayed some departures and forced arriving passengers to wait longer than usual for their luggage, with baggage from several flights still undelivered, the airport said.

The government declared special holidays on Monday and Tuesday for state offices. It advised state enterprises, financial institutions, private businesses and hospitals to determine whether they needed to remain open.

Thailand’s meteorological agency forecast heavy to very heavy rain across several parts of the country. It warned residents, particularly in northern, central and eastern regions, to prepare for possible flash floods, river overflows, forest runoff and landslides, especially near waterways, foothills and low-lying areas.

In neighboring Myanmar, at least 10 people were killed and dozens were missing after heavy rain triggered widespread flooding and landslides in the southern coastal region of Tanintharyi, local media reported.

Dawei township recorded 346 millimeters (13.62 inches) of rain Monday, breaking an 80-year-old record. Myanmar’s Meteorology Department warned that conditions could worsen as the storm front moved closer to Yangon.

Flash floods struck at least 10 provinces in Cambodia, affecting 44,889 families and forcing nearly 4,000 people to evacuate, according to disaster management officials.

The agency overseeing the archaeological park in Siem Reap province, home to the centuries-old Angkor temple complex, said it was operating water gates and diversion systems to reduce the risk of flooding.

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Associated Press writer Sopheng Cheang in Phnom Penh, Cambodia contributed to this report.

Residents of a building look out at the flooded street after heavy rain in Bangkok, Thailand, Monday, Sept. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Rescuers evacuate a patient from a flooded area to a safer place in Bangkok, Thailand, Monday, Sept. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Rescuers evacuate people from a flooded area to a safer place in Bangkok, Thailand, Monday, Sept. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

The streets are flooded after a heavy rain, in Bangkok, Thailand, Monday, Sept. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

People wade through a flooded street after a heavy rain in Bangkok, Thailand, Monday, Sept. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)