After almost five years of her widely reported ordeal in the hand of her alleged abductor, Yunusa Dahiru 55, justice has finally come the way of Miss Ese Oruru when a Federal High Court sitting in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State Thursday convicted and sentenced her abductor.
Blueprint reports that Oruru, the Bayelsa girl was allegedly abducted into forced marriage in Kano where she was allegedly raped, forcibly converted into Islam and married off without her parents’ consent.
Her abduction occurred on August 12, 2015, at her mother’s shop in Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.
The teenager, who was 13-year-old as at the time she was abducted, is the youngest child of Charles Oruru and Rose Oruru.
In 2016, she was reportedly rescued by the police in Kano State and placed in the custody of the government. She was later revealed to be five months’ old pregnant with her abductor’s child after her release.
Although, the Kano State government, through its Information, Youths and Sports Commissioner, Malam Garba, denied any involvement, they nevertheless demanded the culprit be prosecuted since the Constitution and Islamic teaching abhor abduction and forced marriage.
Oruru’s incident which drew condemnation from the civil society and human rights community was tagged a “clear case of child trafficking” and “a worse form of corruption,” by a lawyer, Ebun Adegboruwa.
His arraignment
Meanwhile, in the same March 8, 2016, Dahiru was arraigned and leveled with charges of abduction, kidnapping, unlawful carnal knowledge and sexual exploitation by the police.
Although Dahiru had pleaded not guilty to the charges against him, he was granted bail to the tune of N3 million and two sureties.
Court’s decision
But delivering judgment in the trial on Thursday, Justice Jane Inyang sentenced Dahiru to 26 years in prison.
In her judgment, Iyang acquitted Oruru’s abductor on count one but jailed him five years on (count two), seven years on (count three) seven years on (count four) and seven years on count five respectively.
The Judge affirmed further that the sentences are to run concurrently
