Ese Oruru, 14, Abducted, Forced into Sexual Slavery for 7 Months…Freed on orders of Kano Emir
* “My Daughter is a Minor, Kidnapped at 13 years”-Charles Oruru, Father laments
*Nigerians, Women Right/Civil Society Group Demand Trial of Culprit, Yinusa and Gangs
*Kidnapped Underage Girl Forcefully Converted into Islam, Married by Ring Leader
*Abductor Caught in Hideout, Arrested by Police, Flown to Abuja
*Traumatized, Innocent Girl look Scared, Jittery Over Ordeal
*“I ordered Sharia Commission to liaise with Deputy Inspector General of the police zone to Repatriate, Reconcile Teenager with her family”-Emir of Kano, Lamido Sanusi Mohammed
* “Incident is Condemnable, those Involved Must be Prosecuted”–Nigeria’s Minister of Women Affairs & Poverty Alleviation, Aisha Jummai Al-hassan
* “We will Reunite Ese to her Family, Ensure Proper Rehabilitation, Reintegration into Society to Resume Normal Life”-Bayelsa State Government
BY ADULRAHEEM MOHAMMED/CRIME REPORTER, KANO
SHE was 13 years old at Central Secondary School, Opolo in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State. She was the most brilliant student in Junior Secondary School (JSS 1). She was intelligent, young, smart, beautiful and charismatic even as a young girl. She had her eyes set on the future to study Medicine when she finally reaches the University. Her parents: Charles and Rose were petty traders struggling daily to eke out survival for their children. All eyes in their family was focused on Ese Oruru who is believed would save her family from poverty and penury.
But the sad incidence which happened over Seven months ago in their home in Opolo, mostly inhabited by poor people would forever never be forgotten by Ese’s parents and Nigerians. A 20 year old Hausa guy, who gave his name as ‘Yinusa’, notoriously known as ‘Yellow’ had come to buy few market ingredients from Rose, who at that time was not at home. Ese had returned from school and had to open the door to see the stranger by their door. She had asked for his mission as ‘Yellow’ insisted he came to buy few market groceries from her mother. Ese had told him to go and later come back when her mother would be home.
‘Yellow’ declined, explained that he is resident in Kano State, a huge metropolitan dwelling in Northern Nigeria. He hesitated, and said he would wait outside Ese’s family house. Ese could not explain what happened after, as sources revealed that this underage girls was allegedly hypnotized with Voodoo (Juju) which led to her following Yinusa to his base in Kano.
Pronto, Yinusa coerce her to ‘dump’ her Christian faith to become an Islam covert. To hide Ese’s true identity, he christened her ‘Aisha’, wore her hijab, been some of the most common veil or head-scarf Muslim women wear to show their affection for Islam religion. Against her wish, he took ‘Aisha’ to Sharia Court domiciled inside the Sharia Court where he married her under Sharia Law.
Thereafter, he took her home as his wife. ‘Yellow’ ensured Ese had no access to cellphones, threatens, beat and harass her daily. At a time allegedly threatened to cause harm to Ese’s parents, family members if she tries to run away since he knows her family apartment in Opolo. For a period of seven months, Ese turned Aisha was made a sex object by Yinusa, who would go out in the morning, lock Ese in the house, take away the house key so she would not escape; to just to continually use for his own sexual pleasure.
According to one of the neighbors of Yinusa in Kano, Hammed Rilwan he said: “Many of us here knows Yellow very well. He is very shady in character, a drunk and womanizer. He is very fetish. That is why all of us avoid him coming closer to us as friends. I would not be surprised if he had hypnotized Aisha because the girl does not see anything wrong in Yellow whom she calls her husband. We believe she is Ibo girl, the rate she is attached to Yellow is not natural. She hardly comes out. Always inside the house. Yellow locks her up everyday in the house by shutting the door with his master key. Yellow being a drunkard would most times be boastful that his kidnapped wife from Bayelsa State should be called Aisha.”
When Rose and Charles heard that Ese had been abducted, there was sorrow, tears and pandemonium in the quiet town of Opolo. The parents rushed to Opolo Police Station to incident the report. Assurances were given by the police that their daughter would be looked out for after 36 hours when she is declared not found. Ese’s father the following day accompanied by two policemen from Bayelsa State Police Command visited Emir of Kano’s Palace. Charles was there for a week long (Seven days), he only saw his daughter briefly on two occasions dressed in hijab. He had bust into tears, screamed ‘Ese, who did you turn yourself into a Muslim as a strong, passionate prayer member of Christian Union’? He left the place back to Yenagoa crying as he could see the girl was living in fears fully guarded by Sharia security men.
Nigerians were elated, ecstatic on Monday when they heard of the final release of Ese Oruru, the 14-year old girl abducted from Bayelsa state by one Yinusa to Kano for conversion to Islam and marriage. Many had thought the incident could lead to an tribal war in the country.
Ese was released on the orders of the Emir Sanusi Mohammed of Kano even though the Nigeria Police spent Monday evening claiming the glory for her rescue. The Emir instructed the state sharia commission to liaise with the Assistant Inspector General of Police, zone 1 to commence the process of returning girl back to her family. The emir distanced himself and the Kano Emirate Council from the incident adding: “I have ordered the sharia commission to liaise with the office of Deputy Inspector General of the police zone to repatriate and reconcile the teenager with her family immediately.”
It was learnt that, to make the Nigeria Police Force look effective, the police released the information of Ese’s release unofficially claiming she had been rescued from her abductor and was now in their custody. Sources who had followed the development since it became public knowledge last Sunday, said the police only waited to see her release by the Kano emir who handed her immediately to the police authority.
The source explained: “She was not rescued by the police as the Inspector-General, Solomon Arase, wants us to believe. She was only handed over to the police by Emir Sanusi who is also planning to ensure that all those who took part in the alleged abduction are brought to book. Same Arase shamefully told a reporter that he was only waiting on the emir to help bring back Ese and that Ese’s freedom was dependent on the emir. So how did he suddenly rescue the girl?
For the records before her release, former Minister of Education and rights campaigner, Oby Ezekwesili, kept vigil on the development, mounted pressure for Ese’s release announced that the Emir of Kano was meeting with Ese and had promised to ensure she was released.
Ese was 13 years old when she was allegedly abducted by Yinusa in Opolo, Yenagoa local government area of Bayelsa State, by Yinusa in August, 2015. Yinusa, a tricycle rider, sold his tricycle before taking Ese to Kano where he converted her to Islam and married her in connivance with some others in his village in Kano.
Ese’s Parents Raise the Alarm
Ese’s parents reportedly raised the alarm after it dawned on them that they could not have their daughter back after several efforts and travelling to Kano where they had made their case known.
Ese’s mother had narrated the how they tried in futility to have their daughter back and how she discovered her daughter had converted to Islam and was now known as Aisha. She said she was also told she could not touch her daughter.
Ese’s mother reported at a police station in Kano and later instituted a case with the Bayelsa command of the Nigeria Police Force. Yet, all the efforts did not help.
Emir of Kano Absolves Self, Nigerian Govt steps in
For the Emir of Kano who felt so embarrassed with the way he was roped into the issue after he had ordered that the girl be released to the family since last year, expressed his disappointment. The emirate was more peeved with the level of insults that were poured on the emir in spite of the fact that he had overruled the Sharia legal system and ordered that the girl be released.
The outrage forced lots of Nigerians, civil society groups including the Minister of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Aisha Jummai Al-hassan who condemned the incident and called for the prosecution of all involved in the act. In the words of Al-hassan, earlier before Ese’s release: “Our laws are very clear on the case. Ese Oruru is 14 and as such cannot consent to marriage. Any such union she’s in is illegal. I have been in touch with the police authorities in Kano over Ese’s immediate release to her parents and we are making progress. I can assure you that I will use all my powers and influence as a Minister and woman to secure the release and return of Ese Oruru.
“Ese is still a child under our laws, and her right to freedom of movement is subject to parental control. She must be returned. Child Rights Act says no person under 18 is capable of contracting a valid marriage, and a marriage so contracted is null and void. The Act also clearly states that anyone who marries a child is liable to a fine of N500,000 or 5 years imprisonment or both. No culture, religion or personal conviction supersedes the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Ese Oruru must return home. My ministry is on this case and we will ensure full prosecution of anyone who is found to have contravened the law. I assure you all that Ese Oruru will be released and reunited with her parents without further delay. All hands are on deck for this.”
This morning, Bayelsa-born teenager, Ese and her alleged abductor, Yinusa were Tuesday morning, flown to Abuja by the office of the Assistant Inspector General of Police Zone 1. Police spokesman, Rabilu Ringim reportedly confirmed that the duo were taken to the Inspector General of Police, who will handover the 14 years old girl to her family.
Our Investigation showed that earlier police detectives from Force Headquarters, Abuja who had laid siege in various drinking joints in Kano, found Yinusa hiding in one of the shops, where he was apprehended for committing crime against humanity, human trafficking and kidnapping.
Rabilu explained: “The girl and the boy have been flown to Abuja headquarters of the Nigeria Police for proper handing over to her parents”.
Ese’s distraught father, Charles Oruru thanked the media: “Without the support of the media and civil society groups, there is nothing I could have done. Left to the police, the matter would have died a natural death and she would have been lost in Kano. We are praying for her return so that we can all celebrate. “If they bring my daughter back successfully, I will be very happy. I am like a fish out of water. I have not been myself since she was forcibly taken away from us. Whenever I think of her, I shed tears. She is only a minor. She was taken away when she was 13 years old, but she is now 14. I do not have many children and the few I have, I make sure I take good care of them because I know they will be great in future.”
Latest information reaching us showed that Ese now lives in fear due to her ordeal she experienced in the over 7 months illegal detention, sexual abuse, torment and forceful marriage to Yinusa. The world is watching to see what fate in Nigerian law awaits Yinusa for his crimes against defenseless Ese.
“We will Reunite Ese to her Family, Ensure Proper Rehabilitation, Reintegration into Society to Resume Normal Life”-Bayelsa State Government
Bayelsa State Governor, Hon. Henry Seriake Dickson expressed regret over the abduction of 14 year-old, Ese Oruru, in Yenagoa and taken to Kano for a forceful marriage. He also called on parents and guardians “to be extremely vigilant, especially in the monitoring of the activities of their children, with a view to ensuring that, they do not fall victim to the antics of mischief makers.”
A statement issued on Tuesday by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Mr. Daniel Iworiso-Markson condemned the entire action, but also expressed satisfaction with the various individuals,
non-governmental and civil society groups for bringing the matter to national and international focus.
Dickson pledged the government’s preparedness to support every effort at not only re-uniting Ese Oruru with her family back in Yenagoa, but also ensure her proper rehabilitation and reintegration into the society to resume her normal life.
While commending the Governor of Kano State, Abdullahi Ganduje, for the role displayed in ensuring the release of the victim, Dickson also applauded security agencies for the swiftness and professionalism with which the matter was handled.
He thanked the Emir of Kano, Mallam Muhammadu Sanusi II, for ensuring the safety of Ese and eventual handing over to the Police in Kano.
His words: “The government and people of Bayelsa State will remain eternally grateful to all those, who contributed in one way or the other in giving the issue the desired attention.
