Nigerians Angry With Police IG, Emir Sanusi Over Young Girl's Abduction and Forced Marriage

Nigerians have expressed outrage over the alleged abduction of 14-year-old Ese Oruru by one Yinusa [aka Yellow] from Kano, who also forced her into marriage.

Nigerians, who read the story of the helpless minor as captured by Punch, took a swipe at the inactions of the authorities, saying the girl was abandoned to wallow in captivity.

Yinusa, a tricycle driver, took away the teenage girl to
Kano on August 12, 2015, from her mother’s shop in Opolo, Yenagoa area of Bayelsa State. The mother, Mrs. Rose Oruru, had gone out on the day leaving Ese and her siblings in the shop. Yinusa seized the girl in her absence. Rose’s attempts to seek the release of the girl at the Emir of Kano’s (Sanusi Lamido’s) palace, where she was reportedly kept met a stiff resistance.

An online reader, who identified himself only as Seagols, wrote, “I feel so ashamed of the Bayelsa State Police Command for saying it’s not abduction, but elopement of a 13-year-old? Shame on the Bayelsa State Government, which can’t stand for the rights of its citizen. Shame on the Emir of Kano, who allowed such injustice. Finally, how could a guy who sold his keke in Bayelsa be this powerful? Just that the police are already biased. More will unfold if only the police were to do their job.”

A commentator, Edward Owens, expressed worry and wondered, “Why is the IG of police and the National Assembly silent on this issue? It is taking too long. Why is the presidency silent on this?”

Another reader, Fineman Peters, said Ese’s case defied sanity and urged the authorities to rise up to the case and ensure that the girl was freed.

“Am I reading a true story here or some kind of fiction? I hope the VP, IG and DSS DG will pick a copy of The PUNCH and read this. What happened to us as a nation? From the word go, everybody involved in this should have been in police net. This is the most blatant state-sponsored case of a paedophile that I have ever seen. My heart is broken as I read this. Our government should be ashamed. If I was in charge of this country, heads will roll. Many heads will roll,” he wrote.

In his comment, Samuel Ogbonaya, said, “This should never happen in a country where there are laws. The laws are clear. How on earth does any sane mind accept that a 13-year-old girl has the maturity to accept to be married and her religion forcefully changed without the express approval of her parents? I thought it is the convention that parents approve their kids to be married and are believed to be the ones to hand over their children to whoever that has followed the process?”

A reader who went by the alias, Thorn in the flesh, said, “This is disgraceful to say the least. How can anyone abduct a 13-year-old girl and term that to be elopement, when the girl in question is an underaged child who certainly cannot give informed consent.”

Another commentator, identified simply as NG, blamed Sanusi and the police for playing politics with the girl’s freedom.

“There is nothing we cannot hear in this country, imagine this? Even the Emir can’t be straight on the matter; the police could not take action and get the girl out. The parents even saw the girl brought in a black SUV. Why weren’t they allowed to take the girl right away, and they were being denied access to their child, saying she had been converted to Islam. How can you marry someone’s child without the knowledge of the parents and the so called Emir and police can’t do anything about it? An underage girl for that matter.”

The Truth wrote, “A 13-year-old girl got married without her parents’ consent? May God Almighty punish Yinusa who abducted the girl, repay Lamido Sanusi for not standing for justice, punish Kano Police Command and DSS for doing nothing. They should arrest the criminal boy called Yinusa and prosecute him.PUNCH please monitor this case to the last because of the girl. Please don’t let this girl perish in the hands of these wicked souls.”

“If the Nigerian government does nothing about this, the parents and their lawyers should petition the African Union, United Nations, Amnesty International, the National Human Rights Commission, the International Criminal Court in the Hague, and all involved should be arrested, tried and jailed,” Donloke wrote.

A reader, Casca, wondered why the Emir was passive on the case despite his level of education and exposure.

He insisted, “This is unjust provocation. God help us. Nigeria is a failed state. Even IG could not do anything about this too! I am disappointed in the so called Emir, after all he is educated and he understands the meaning of a pedophile.”