Ese’s abductor Yunusa arraigned in court
Yinusa Dahiru was arraigned on a five count charge of abduction, illicit sex and unlawful canal knowledge among others The alleged abductor of 14 years old Ese Oruru, Yinusa Dahiru, alis Yellow, was today March 8 arraigned at the Federal High Court sitting in Yenagoa the Bayelsa state capital, Vanguard reports. Yinusa is facing a five count charge of abduction, illicit sex and unlawful canal knowledge among others as stipulated by the charge sheet in a suit number FHC/YNG/17c/2016.
According to the Nation, the charges read to Yunusa stated : “That Yunusa Dahiru a male resident in Opolo-Epie area of Yenagoa in Bayelsa State conspired with the duo of Dankano Mohammed and Mallam AlHassan between August 2015 and Febuary, 2016 to commit an offence of abduction and thereby committed offence punishable under section 27(a) of the Trafficking in persons (prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act, 2015. “That Yunusa Dahiru abducted Ese Oruru by means of coercion, transported and harboured her in Kano State and thereby committed an offence punishable under section 13(2)(b) of the Trafficking in Persons prohibition Enforcement and Administration Act, 2015. The charge sheet was signed by a special police prosecutor, Kenneth Dika. Yinusa had on August 12, 2015 allegedly abducted Ese from Bayelsa state and eloped with her to Kano where he converted her to Islam and eventually married her.
Several groups have called on the Nigerian authorities to prosecute Yunusa, for allegedly abducting Ese. The BBOG advocacy group recently joined those calling for the prosecution of abductors and all those involved in the abduction of Ese Oruru. In a press release signed by its leaders, Oby Ezekwesili, Aisha Yesufu and Hadiza Bala Usman, the group expressed sadness over the handling of the Ese Oruru’s abduction case, adding that dealing with culprits would serve as deterrent to others. Likewise, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) called for action on Ese’s abduction saying Yunusa’s action “violated the law and caused a Christian family to go through a traumatic period”.
The Executive Director of the group, Ishaq Akintola in a statement said Yunusa should be charged to court in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa state capital, and then before a Sharia court in Kano if it is proven that he had canal knowledge of the girl. Meanwhile, the police has commenced an enquiry to determine the level of culpability of its personnel in the shoddy handling of Ese Oruru’s abduction by Yunusa. The Punch, citing the police spokesperson reports that some senior officers had been queried, while all the officers involved in the initial investigation are said to be under administrative probe.
