The police on Tuesday slammed a five-count charge on Yunusa Dahiru, alleged abductor of Ese Oruru, the Bayelsa teenage girl who was taken to Kano, and converted to Islam.
Yunusa was arraigned before H. A. Nganjiwa, a justice of the federal high court in Yenagoa, amid tight security.
When the charges of abduction, kidnapping, unlawful carnal knowledge and sexual exploitation were read to him, Yunusa pleaded not guilty.
Kenneth Dika, counsel for the prosecution, said the state was ready to prove its case against the accused.
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Dika said the state was ready with six witnesses to ensure successful prosecution of the case.
Kayode Olaoshebikan, counsel to Yunusa, applied for bail for his client, saying: “I am confident of winning the case. In fact, there is no case.
“It is easy for the prosecution to bring up charges but Yunusa as a man has pleaded not guilty and it is left for the prosecution to prove their case beyond every reasonable doubt.
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“It is a case of two love birds. In our social parlance, we call it elopement, but government and the state prefer to call it abduction and it is left for the court to decide whether it is abduction or elopement of two minors.
“Yunusa is 18 years old and the girl in question is 14 years old.”
The case was adjourned to March 14 for hearing of the bail application by Olaoshebikan.
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2 comments
Unqualified lawyer! How can he say their is no case. Having canal knowledge of an under age girl!
Ah! So a 13-year-old girl can elope and it is legal? What does she know? If she is this lawyer’s daughter, would that be legal in his eyes? What of the forceful conversion to another faith, hundreds of miles away from her parents, is that legal too?… Yunusa is young too but he should be made to realise early in life that we have laws of the land guiding our actions. It will also encourage those whose daughters have been similarly abducted to come forward and demand for justice. How distressing it is to hear that such things have been happening right under our noses! We have been too busy demanding that Boko Haram must #bringbackourgirls! Not knowing we have more girls to demand for!