Yunusa Dahiru, the alleged abductor of 14-year-old Ese Oruru from Bayelsa, was on Tuesday arraigned before a Federal High Court Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.
Yunusa, aka Yellow, was arraigned on five counts bordering on abduction, coercion and seduction into illicit intercourse and sexual exploitation.
Ese was allegedly abducted from Bayelsa and taken to Kano by Yunusa, a regular customer at her mother’s food stall in Bayelsa.
Ese’s parents had claimed Yunusa forcefully converted their teenage daughter to Islam and forced her into marriage, without their consent.
Yunusa was arraigned before Justice H.A. Nganjiwa on a charge numbered FHC/YNG/17c/2016, filed against him by the Inspector-General of Police, Solomon Arase.
The charges read: “That you, Yunusa Dahiru ‘m’ of Opolo-Epie, with Dankano Mohammed, ‘m’, Mallam Alhassan, ‘m’ currently at large, between the months of August 2015 and February 2016 at Oplo-Epie in Yenagoa Judicial Division of the Federal High Court did conspire among yourselves to commit an offence to wit: Abduction and thereby committed an offence punishable under section 27 (a) of the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act, 2015.
“That you Yunusa Dahiru ‘m’ of Opolo-Epie between the months of August 2015 and February 2016 at Opolo Epie, Yenagoa, in the Yenagoa Division of the Federal High Court abducted one Rita Ese Oruru ‘f’ aged 14 years 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.
“That you, Yunusa Dahiru ‘m’ of Opolo-Epie, between the months of August 2015 and February 2016 at Opolo-Epie, Yenagoa, in the Yenagoa Judicial Division of the Federal High Court, induced one Rita Ese Oruru ‘f’ aged 14 years by the use of deception and coercion to go with you from Yenagoa to Kano state with intent that she be forced or seduced into illicit intercourse and thereby committed an offence punishable under section 15 (a) of the Trafficking in Persons (prohibition) Enforcement Administration Act, 2015.
“That you, Yunusa Dahiru ‘m’ of Opolo-Epie, between the months of August 2015 and February 2016 at Opolo-Epie, Yenagoa in Yenagoa Judicial Division of the Federal High Court procured one Rita Ese Oruru ‘f’ aged 14 years and subjected her into sexual exploitation in Kano state and thereby committed an offence punishable under section 16 (1) of the Trafficking in person (prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act, 2015.
“That you, Yunusa ‘m’ of Opolo-Epie, between the months of August 1015 and February 2016 at Opolo-Epie, Yenagoa in the Yenagoa Judicial Division of the Federal High Court had unlawful carnal knowledge of one Rita Ede Oruru ‘f’ aged 14 years, without her consent and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 357 of the Criminal Code Act and punishable under Section 358 of the Criminal Code Act, Cap. C38, Laws of the Federation of Nigerian, 2004.”
Yunusa pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
The matter was adjourned till March 14 for the hearing of the bail application by his counsel, Kayode Olaosebikan.
Apart from allegedly abducting Ese, Yunusa is believed to have forcefully converted her to Islam and gotten her pregnant.
