‘No Bride Price for Non-Virgins’ – Reno Omokri Declares, Citing Bible and African Tradition

Reno Omokri has sparked widespread debate after stating that bride price should only be paid for virgins, claiming anything else is “extortion.”

Former presidential aide, Reno Omokri, has sparked debate online after declaring that bride price should only be paid for virgins, arguing that demanding it otherwise amounts to “extortion.”

In a detailed post shared Sunday on his official X account, Omokri explained that many Africans confuse dowry and bride price, noting they are “not the same.”

“There is a huge difference between a dowry and a bride price,” he wrote.

“However, in this part of the world (Sub-Saharan Africa), we often use the terms interchangeably — but they are not the same.”

He clarified that dowry refers to property or money given to a woman by her parents on her wedding day to take to her husband’s house, while bride price, especially in African and Jewish cultures, is payment made by a man to marry a virgin woman.

“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.”

“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…”

Citing biblical texts and Lukumi Yoruba tradition, Omokri emphasized that if virginity is not confirmed after marriage, “the marriage is not considered valid, and the bride price is returned.”

He took issue with what he described as the commercialisation of bride price, especially when it applies to women who are not virgins:

“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.”

Omokri, known for quoting scripture in his commentaries, further argued that the term “bride” is scripturally reserved for virgins:

“Scripturally, the term ‘bride’ is never used for a woman who is not a virgin… These verses show that bridehood is synonymous with virginity.”

While stating that marrying a non-virgin is not forbidden, he maintained that such a union does not warrant a bride price:

“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.”

He cited the biblical example of David, who paid bride price for Michal but not for Abigail.

Concluding his post, Omokri warned that abandoning traditional values could worsen Africa’s societal challenges:

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“If we in Africa do not return to these time-honoured traditions… we will remain at the bottom rung of global development, plagued by high rates of sexually transmitted diseases and broken homes.”

He also criticised white weddings in Africa, calling them a misrepresentation of both Christian and African traditions:

“Lastly, the White wedding is not African culture, and it is not a Christian wedding… Industrial Money Obtainers, I hope you have heard?”