The Federal High Court sitting in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, has sentenced Yunusa Dahiru to 26 years imprisonment for child abduction, trafficking and sexual exploitation of Ese Oruru.
KanyiDaily had reported that the abduction of Ese Oruru occurred on 12 August, 2015 at her mother’s shop in Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.
Ese, who was 13 years old at the time, was abducted by Yunusa Dahiru (alias Yellow) and taken to Kano, where she was allegedly raped, forcibly converted into Islam and married off without her parents’ consent.
On February 29, 2016, Ese was reportedly rescued by the Kano State Police and placed in the custody of the government. She was later revealed to be five months’ pregnant with her abductor’s child after being released.
Dahiru was arraigned on March 8, 2016 before the Federal High Court, Yenagoa, on charges of criminal abduction, illicit sex, sexual exploitation, and unlawful carnal knowledge of the minor.
Delivering judgement in the case on Thursday, May 21, 2020, Justice Jane Inyang, held that Dahiru was not guilty of count one which bothered on abduction.
The judge, however, found him guilty of child trafficking, illicit sex, sexual exploitation and unlawful carnal knowledge.
He was jailed five years in count two (Child trafficking), seven years in count three (illicit sex), seven years in count four (Sexual exploitation) and seven years in count five (Unlawful carnal knowledge).
The judge, however, held that the sentences should run consecutively, which means the convict will spend a maximum of 26 years in jail, except if he gets his conviction overturned by the appellate court.
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