Charles Oruru is Ese’s father. He narrates his ordeal in this interview with Simon Utebor
Did you travel with your wife to Kano for the release of your daughter?
On the first trip, I did not go with them. On August 17, when my wife called me and said they refused to release the child to her, I became angry. Thereafter, I went to the Bayelsa State Police Headquarters to lodge a complaint. They directed me to B Division and said I should arrest the persons linked with the abduction. I arrested the leader of some of the Hausa boys, Dan Kano and two other persons. Dan Kano is the one who usually brought them to Bayelsa. I took him to the station and the police took our statements.
What happened after this?
After that, the DCO at Ekeki called me to tell me that the case was not for them and that he was transferring the case to A Division because it was close to the state headquarters.
They gave bail to the two other boys from Sokoto based on their statements. Dan Kano was subsequently moved to A Division where he was detained. From there, a police officer said he was going to release two policemen to travel with me to Kano to enable me to get my daughter.
When did you leave for Kano?
We travelled on September 2, and spent over 15 hours on the road before getting to Kano. The following day, we distributed letters given to us by the Bayelsa Police Commissioner to state headquarters in Kano, Kwani Police station and Kura LGA where Yinusa (the main suspect) is from. On September 4, they called us for a meeting and we went to Kwani police station near the Emir’s Palace. Present were the two police officers from Bayelsa with about four policemen from Kwani including Chief of Kura LGA, the secretary and other persons. About 15 of us went to the Sharia Council. When we got there, many people were already there. They called their chairman. I was shouting, ‘I need my daughter, I need my daughter.’ The chairman said I should calm down and that we were not fighting. We all sat down. They were angry with me and said my daughter was 18 years old and I was claiming she was 13 years. I told them it was false, that my daughter was 13 years old then. She clocked 14 last week. They told me my daughter had come to join Islam. I told them we are Christians and that they could not tell me my daughter had converted to become a Muslim without my consent. After all the argument, the DCO pleaded with the chairman that since the girl was underage, she should be released to me to take home. Instantly, the chairman’s countenance changed and started speaking furiously to the DCO in Hausa. Though I did not understand Hausa, I was made to understand that the chairman was angry because the DCO asked him to release the girl to me. The policemen there were not happy with the development, wondering why they should be telling the father of a child the age of his daughter.
Were you afraid of the chairman and others in Kano?
No, the DCO insisted that the child should be released to me but unknown to us; it was a gimmick to deceive us further. The Sharia Council chairman calmly told us to come the following day for the release of Ese. But the promise was not kept. When I got there with the policemen the next day, the story changed. When we got there, they said they were going to release the girl to Zone 5, Benin City, for onward release to Bayelsa State Police Command to us. So, that was how we went on a fruitless journey to Kano without getting my daughter.
When did you return to Bayelsa?
We came back on the September 8 and up till now, my daughter has not been released. From information, we learnt that the Sharia Council was yet to release my daughter to the Zone 5 as promised. I do not know what else to do. The Sharia Council and the Emirate Council are behaving like government unto themselves. We have tried all we can to get our daughter released to no avail. I am appealing to the Federal Government and the relevant authorities to intervene in the matter to get my daughter released. We do not want this to degenerate into a tribal crisis.
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