Ese Oruru’s story shows that Nigeria is failing its daughters

monjola sotubo

March 7, 2016 10:21 AM

Ese was abducted from Bayelsa State in August 2015 by one Yunusa and taken to Kano State. She was eventually rescued and returned home on March 2, 2016.

Ese Oruru in Abuja

14-year-old

Ese was abducted from Bayelsa State in August 2015 by one Yunusa and taken to Kano State.

The teenager spent seven months in relative captivity despite her parents’ attempts to get her back home.

It took the creation of a hashtag, #FreeEse, and widespread media outcry for security agencies to rescue the young girl and return her homeon March 2, 2016.

One of the most confusing aspects of the situation is the fact that the Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase admitted that he couldn’t do anything for the girl without the intervention of the Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi.

“The Emir decided that he was going to mediate. But, because of his trip to Mecca with the President; that was what caused the delay. But now that he is back, we are going to sort it out as quickly as possible,” Arase told Punch.

Why did the Emir need to intervene (read interfere) in what was obviously a clear case of kidnapping and should’ve been handled solely by the police?

In his defence, Sanusi said that he had ordered the girl’s release and return to her parents since September 2015, one month after she was kidnapped.

“I ordered her repatriation since September 2015 through the office of the Assistant Inspector General of Police in charge of Zone 1. But to my surprise, the issue is still in between the Sharia Commission, Hisbah (religious police) and the Police,” Sanusi said.

The blame for Ese’s captivity falls on the shoulders of the police and traditional authorities in Kano, but most of all it falls on Nigeria as a country.

A 14-year-old girl was kept by an abductor for seven months and impregnated while many watched and did nothing.

The entire incident goes to show just how little protection Nigeria offers its children, most especially the female ones.

Other cases like Ese’s have begun to attract attention as the media gives a voice to people who had given up hope on ever finding their daughters.

There’s the case of 15-year-old Patience Paul from Benue State who was also abducted in August 2015, forcefully converted to Islam and taken to Sokoto State.

When the case was reported to the police, they told the complainants to go home and maintain the peace. Patience was also rescued this month after her brother’s plea on Facebook caught the attention of the media and the Sokoto State government.

One can only imagine how many girls have been taken in this manner and converted to wives and mothers without their consent.

The situation clearly shows that there are no structures in place to safeguard the dignity and wellbeing of Nigeria’s daughters and this is a big shame.

Nigeria has failed the abducted Chibok girls by not being able to rescue them almost two years after they were taken.

The Nigerian government needs to remedy the situation by creating legislation and other initiatives to ensure that its female citizens, individually and as a group, are protected from predators.

monjola sotubo

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