14-year-old Girl Allegedly Forced into Marriage in Police Custody
Emir of Kano calls action unislamic, says she’s not in his custody insist she must be released to her parents Murray-Bruce, Mama Taraba
Following the outcry over the alleged forced marriage and conversion to Islam of 14-year-old Ese Oruru, a resident of Baylesa State, by one Inusa, an indigene of Kano, the Assistant Inspector General (AIG) of Police (AIG) in charge of Zone 1, Kano, has confirmed that the girl and her alleged abductor are now in the care of the police.
The spokesman of the Police Zone 1, ASP Rabilu Ringim, informed THISDAY on the phone last night that “the girl is now with us including the boy. We are taking their statements”.
Ringim also said the police were investigating the matter before deciding on the next line of action.
According to him, the duo was brought to the zone yesterday, adding that the girl was safe and under police protection.
Miss Oru, an indigene of Delta State but resident in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa capital, was allegedly forcibly picked up by Yinusa without the consent of her parents on August 12 last year and has declined all pleas to release the minor, who was 13 at the time.
Her forced marriage, conversion to Islam and abduction have attracted the condemnation of civil society groups and her parents who described it as “barbaric and criminal”.
Also weighing in on the issue yesterday, the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Muhammad Sanusi II, described the alleged forced marriage and conversion to Islam of the girl as worrisome and “unislamic”.
Providing insight into the issue, Sunusi said: “I had ordered for her repatriation since September 2015 through the Assistant Inspector General of Police in charge of Zone 1, but to my surprise the issue is still hanging in between the Sharia Commission, the Hisbah, and the police.
“The matter is worrisome and two people phoned me in the morning today from South Africa over the matter, but what I knew was that the matter is something which I had directed for her repatriation six months ago.
“I can also remember that I have ordered the district head of Kura, the Sharia Commission and Hisbah to investigate the allegation she raised that her mother wanted to kill her if she returned to Bayelsa.
“The duo confirmed to me that the allegation raised by Ese was true. I requested police intervention just to get her a cover after we took her back home to Bayelsa.”
The emir blamed the police for the delay in the girl’s release, adding: “I have done my best for her and even directed for action; it’s unfortunate that the police are delaying this matter.”
The emir, who spoke shortly after the council meeting of the emirate, noted that “Ese is minor and can’t be married off as an underage girl. Every Muslim also knows that marriage cannot be without guidance. She must be taken back to her parents and can only marry when she reaches the age of 18”.
“It is unislamic for someone to marry a girl without a guidance. Only a mature person who reaches 18 years can denounce her religion to another.
“This abduction of Ese by my subject in Kano is worrisome because it will cause disunity among our people. I feel it is something to urgently call to order,” he added.
Sanusi again directed the Shariah Commission to immediately repatriate the girl back to her family, pointing out that “this issue is something that is unbecoming among our people”.
In another statement, the Kano Emirate Council also denied an online report that she was in the custody of the Emir of Kano.
It added that on August 11, 2015, a young girl named “Aisha Chuwas” was sent to the emir’s court by the district head of Kura, along with the village head and a man named Inusa.
The council added: “The district head reported that he had received a report from the village head that the young girl from Bayelsa State had followed Inusa to his village and accepted the Islamic faith at the hands of the Imam of Kura, and that Inusa had brought her home to marry her, as she was afraid of being killed by her mother for converting to Islam.
“The district head requested His Highness, the emir to provide protection for the girl. The emir referred the matter to the Sharia Commission for investigation.
“The report was presented to the emir on 7th September, 2015. Based on the report and questioning of the girl and all parties, the emir ruled as follows: that the girl had not yet reached an age where she could take decisions attributed to her without the approval of her parents; that the girl should be handed over to the AIG in charge of Kano Zone with a request to hand her over to the AIG in charge of Bayelsa for return to her family.”
The emirate council also revealed that Sanusi instructed that the AIG in Baylesa should be asked to ensure that no harm was inflicted upon her on account of her convictions.
“The girl was duly handed over to the AIG (Kano) as instructed by His Highness, the emir in September. Until the recent furore, there had been no indication that the directive to return the girl home had not been carried out.
“At no time was the girl in the custody of the emir or any official of the emirate council, and at no time did His Highness, the emir, endorse the action of Inusa to bring her to Kano and his plan to marry her.
“His Highness, the emir has directed that an explanation be obtained from the AIG Kano Zone with immediate effect as to what actions he took after receiving the directives of His Highness,” it stated.
The council also called on well-meaning Nigerians to make inquiries and crosscheck all facts before rushing to spread false rumours that may cause disaffection among various peace-loving groups in Nigeria.
Also reacting to the minor’s forced marriage and abduction, the senator representing Bayelsa East, Mr. Ben Murray-Bruce of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), immediately contacted the Emir of Kano to demand her immediate release.
“I just got off the phone with the Emir of Kano. He has exonerated himself and has provided documentary evidence to this effect on Ese’s case. However, I will not relent until Ese is freed and released to her parents,” he posted on his Twitter handle.
He also upbraided the Inspector General of Police (IG), Mr. Solomon Arase, for failing to rescue Ese from her abductor.
“I have been on an international flight without internet and just landed at MMIA only to be briefed on the abduction of Ese.
“After being briefed, I have consulted to establish the facts of the matter. Having done so, I make the following statement: IG Arase, Ese is a minor and can’t consent to marriage.
“The constitution is clear. Your duty is to ensure her release to her parents. The constitution of Nigeria respects no person. To pick and choose on whom it should apply is unconstitutional.
“Your statement that Ese’s release is ‘dependent’ on persons is sad. Her release is guaranteed by the constitution. Ensure you free Ese.
“If you refuse to enforce the Nigerian constitution, this matter will be escalated to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights,” he said.
In her reaction, the Minister of Women Affairs, Mrs. Aisha Alhassan, also known as Mama Taraba, also condemned the alleged abduction of the girl, vowing to secure her release and the prosecution of her abductor.
Twitting through her Twitter handle, she said Ese is a minor and as such cannot consent to marriage, stressing that the Child Rights Act says no person under 18 is capable of contracting a valid marriage, and a marriage so contracted is null and void.
The former senator added that the Act prescribes a fine of N500,000 or five years imprisonment or both for anyone who violates it by marrying a minor.
“No culture, religion or personal conviction supersedes the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Ese Oruru must return home.
“The case of Ese Oruru was brought to my attention yesterday and I have been looking into it since.
“Our laws are very clear on the case, Ese Oruru is 14 and as such cannot consent to marriage. Any such union she’s in is illegal.
“I have been in touch with the police authorities in Kano over Ese’s immediate release to her parents and we are making progress.
“I can assure you that I will use all my powers and influence as a minister and woman to secure the release and return of Ese Oruru.
“Ese is still a child under our laws, and her right to freedom of movement is subject to parental control. She must be returned.
“My ministry is on this case and we will ensure full prosecution of anyone who is found to have contravened the law,” she said through her Twitter posts.