Following a directive Monday afternoon by the Inspector General of Police to the Commissioner of Police, Kano State, Mohammed Katsina to liase with the State’s Emirate Council and relevant persons, the 14-year-old Ese Oruru was last night rescued from her abductor.
Ese-Oruru Confirming the rescue in a telephone chat Monday, Force Public relations Officer, ACP Olabisi Kolawole disclosed that the Inspector General of Police has directed that Ese Oruru be giving protection adding that she will be flown to Abuja tomorrow (Tuesday to be re-united with her family.
Already, it was gathered that the IGP has made arrangements to move the family to Abuja to re-unite with their daughter.
Ese, who was abducted on August 12, 2015, converted to Islam and forcefully married by Yinusa, was on Monday released to the police in Kano State.
The minor was released to the Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Zone 1, Kano, Shuaibu Gambo, by the Kano Emirate Council.
The Inspector-General of Police, Solomon Arase, who confirmed this to one of our correspondents via a text message, said Ese would soon be reunited with her parents.
He said, “She is safe with us. She will be reunited with her parents.”
The Force Public Relations Officer, Olabisi Kolawole, also confirmed that Ese had been released to the AIG Zone 1, adding that she would be brought to Abuja on Tuesday along with her parents.
She said, “Ese has been released and as I speak with you, she is with the AIG, Zone 1, Kano. She will be brought to Abuja tomorrow (Tuesday) along with her parents.
“The AIG Zone 1 has taken over the matter. The police swung into action and they are investigating at the moment. Investigation is still ongoing.
“All those involved in the saga would be dealt with according to the law. Any person indicted in the incident will be made to face the law.”
Asked if the police would conduct medical tests, including HIV/AIDS test on Ese, Kolawole stated that “all the necessary tests would be carried out.”
The Police Public Relations Officer, Zone 1, Kano, Rabiu Ubayi, also confirmed that Ese was with them in Kano.
The police spokesperson added that Yinusa had also been invited for questioning, and he was writing his statement when our correspondents called him separately on the telephone.
He said, “Presently, we are in action. We have found the girl. The police have invited all the parties. We invited the people who are holding her, including Yinusa himself.
“The girl and the man are here. They are writing statements. They are all in police custody. We have not concluded investigation at the moment. But they are all with us.”
Ese had been abducted in 2015 by Yinusa, who was a longstanding customer of her mother, Mrs. Rose Oruru, a food vendor in Opolo in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital.
Yinusa, a tricycle rider, took away the minor to Kano from her mother’s shop. Rose had gone out on the day, leaving Ese and her siblings in the shop.
Yinusa subsequently took Ese, who was 13 years old at the time, to Kano, where she was allegedly converted to Islam and forcefully married.
Rose’s attempts to get the girl released had met a brick wall until PUNCH newspaper started a campaign for her release.
Nigerians are demanding sanctions for those who held 14-year-old Ese Oruru captive for eight months.
Ese was released to the police on Monday, 24 hours after PUNCH newspapers inaugurated a campaign to free the minor.
One Yinusa, aka Yellow, had abducted Ese in August 2015, taken her to Kano, had her converted to Islam and forcefully married her.
It took eight months, trips to Kano by her parents, and outrage among Nigerians to secure her freedom.
Many Nigerians, who were shocked by Ese’s ordeal, have called on the Federal Government to ensure such an incident does not recur by dealing decisively with those that have contravened the country’s laws.
The Minister of Women Affairs, Jummai Alhassan, made it clear that laws had been broken, promising to prosecute those involved.
“Our laws are very clear on the case; Ese Oruru is 14 years and as such cannot consent to marriage. Any such union she’s in is illegal,” she said in a tweet.
Alhassan explained that since Ese was a child, her right to freedom of movement was subject to parental control.
“The Act also clearly states that anyone who marries a child is liable to a fine of N500,000 or five years’ imprisonment or both,” she said, adding that her ministry would ensure the full prosecution of anyone found to have contravened the law.
A former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, also called for the prosecution of those involved.
She called for an investigation into the incident and publication of findings about why Ese’s release was allowed to linger for so long.
Senator Ben Murray-Bruce had also, while calling on the Inspector-General of Police to free Ese, stressed that the IG must ensure that those involved did not go free. Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
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No punishment for the abductors and all the accomplices??? Well, as events are unfolding...
ReplyDeleteElopement case not abduction o
ReplyDeleteElopement case not abduction o
ReplyDeleteUr are a sick person....you need help...
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ReplyDeleteEnd of the story my people. The whole thing will die silent without any prosecution.
ReplyDeleteWHAT MANNER OF STORY IS THIS? THESE ISLAMIC HOODLUMS MUST BE MADE TO PAY FOR THEIR ACTIONS. LAST TIME IT WAS AN IGBO GIRL IN ETSU NUPE PALACE. WHY CAN'T THOSE PIGS ABDUCT THEIR OWN HAUSA AND ISLAMIC GIRLS. IF A CHRISTIAN DARES LOOK AT A MOSLEM GIRL THEY WILL HIM, BUT THESE LESS THAN HUMAN- ANIMALS CAN RAPE AND ABDUCT CHRITIAN GIRLS. THIS IS ONE CASE TOO MANY BECAUSE PEOPLE CRIED OUT. THERE ARE MANY SUCH CASES THAT WENT UNREPORTED. SHAME ON THOSE PIGS. Jay 2, Abuja.
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