A teenager, who was kidnapped from Bayelsa State to Kano, Ese Oruru, said on Monday she was not interested in reuniting with her family, claiming she was not abducted from her home. In an exclusive audio recording obtained by PREMIUM TIMES on Monday, the girl also said she came to Kano to convert to Islam.
A human rights lawyer, Huwaila Mohammed, who was given access to the girl at the Zonal Police Headquarters in Kano, said upon interrogation, she understood the girl was never forced to convert to Islam. I was there to protect her rights,” Ms. Mohammed said. “When I approached her initially, she refused to talk to me. Later she opened up to me.
Listen to Ese's short interview after cut
Listen to Ese's short interview after cut
“She is very defiant. She told me she was born in February 1999. I personally wanted her to reunite with her family, but surprisingly she asked me to tell her mother that she will never return to Bayelsa.
“The police should ensure that she is protected and returned to her family. She is still not matured enough to take such a weighty decision without parental consent.”
Ms. Mohammed, who also spoke with Miss Oruru’s lover, Yunusa Yellow, said upon interrogation, she established that he is 18-year-old man “not anywhere above 20”.
“I was surprised when I saw a very small boy. He is just 18-year old. I was enraged thinking that it was an old man involved in the saga. From the way I see it, they eloped not because of religion but love,” she said.
But Miss Oruru is a minor, and under Nigerian law, she is not considered matured enough to take a decision to convert to another religion and leave her parents.
In his reaction, the emir of Kano denied reports that he was holding Miss Oruru.
PREMIUM TIMES learnt that Miss Oruru’s “kidnapper” has been arrested and is being detained at the Zone 1 Police Headquarters, Kano.
Listen to the audio of Ese's short interview
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