Connect with us

Headlines

Opinion: Ese Oruru: A Post-Script

Published

on

Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed

“If you want to know the end, look at the beginning.”–African proverb

A little over four years ago, I wrote the material below in this paper.

It was intended to speak against a national hysteria being fired by our poisonous national patents of ethnic and religious stereotypes and prejudices.

I have since followed this matter even when it threatened to disappear under our penchant for finding new causes to fight over.

Last week, there was a major development around the story.

First, though, please read my comments on the matter.

“Any responsible parent of a girl of fourteen that disappears and is then reported to be with an unknown person hundreds of miles away from home will be beside themselves with worry.

“If they also hear that she has changed her religion and is planning to marry the person responsible for her disappearance, their concerns will deepen.

“They will do everything to trace the girl and utilise every available source of redress and relief to retrieve her and get justice.

“If they meet their daughter, and then encounter difficulties in retrieving her from any quarter, they will raise their voices to the high heavens in protest.

“Everyone who hears the side of the parent’s story will line up in their support.

This is what all Nigerians have done in support of the demand of the parents, relations and the community of 14 year old Ese Oruru for her return to her home in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State from a village in Kano State where she has been for the last few months.

This universal support behind the return of Ese to her home is the only peg on which you could hang some sort of consensus.

Ese’s reported ill-advised elopement with a young man from Kano is presented as abduction, forceful detention, and conversion to Islam in many versions.

Sloppy handling and laxities in the operations of institutions with responsibilities to protect the weak and vulnerable are interpreted in other quarters as high level collusion to violate the fundamental and other rights of a Nigerian minor.

A saga that has been active for months, with many stops and gaps substantially outside public glare suddenly assumed the status of a national scandal with all the trappings and muck of our politics.

A child everyone should look at with responsible sympathy suddenly became the source of the rediscovery of all that is wrong with our politics and other values as a nation.

Ese was, a few months ago, one among millions of Nigerian children from whom you will buy pure water or snacks without a second look.

Today, she is at the center of an almighty row about faith, cultures and damaging politics.

Long after this dust is settled, this child will deal with the effects of our quarrels over her.

Whether she is a victim of childish impetuousness or adult abuse and cynical manipulation is not likely to matter.

Collectively, we would have further injured a child that ought to have been in school learning to be a responsible adult, with the support of her parents and community.

There are quite possibly many angles to this sad story that would have been permanently drowned by indignation and outrage from just about everyone who has scores to settle, or a cause to advance.

A range of persons and interests from the Emir of Kano to all Muslims and many northerners are likely to feel hard done because their status and faith are being portrayed in very bad light.

They will attempt to distance their faith from abduction, forceful conversion or marriage without consent of parents, to no avail.

Palace officials, police and community leaders will roll out all manner of evidence that they played their parts.

No one will care, after the devastating conclusions of social media warriors has reached many ears, galvanising opinions in support of a child who desperately needs to be freed from abduction and forced conversion and impending marriage.

Ese’s sojourn has attracted to the poor child an entire army of sympathisers, many of whom she does not need, and they do not deserve mention.

Minister of women affairs says Ese is a wake up call to improve the protection of women and child rights.

Hashtags in support of Ese’s return have been gaining support in social media.

Traditional and stereotype insults against people, regions and religions are being unearthed, with reminders of child marriages by prominent northerners, the Chibok girls, sponsored pregnancies, commercial baby factories and entire communities living off remittances from prostituting daughters in Europe filling all social media spaces.

In this bedlam, which says more about how we treat each other as adults than how we relate to our young, there are a few islands of sanity.

The governor of Bayelsa State went out of his way to engage governor of Kano State and the Emir of Kano, and publicly commended both for the roles they played in reuniting Ese with her parents.

The Kano Emirate Council released a measured statement distancing the Emir and the Emirate Council from accusations that they colluded in keeping Ese in Kano State, away from her parents.

On the other hand, the legion of shrill joiners piling on sensation and crude opportunism reminds us all that we are stuck in some deep gutters as far as inter-community relations go.

The Nation newspaper screamed an editorial that should lose it a substantial amount of respect.

It said: “The story which was, at press time still developing, has all the evil trappings of molestations, child abuse, sexual deviance, abduction, religious coercion, constitutional violation, a network of shadowy big men manipulating the law…”

This comment will force all people with a hint of civilised humanity to grit their teeth and read the trademark drivel rolled out routinely by Femi Fani-Kayode because it appears that he shares the same space with this newspaper on this matter.

Forgive me for giving this man who clearly needs help a few minutes of your time, but this is part of Fani-Kayode’s contribution on this matter: “The truth is that this is not a love story about two inseparable young people: it is rather a sad and tragic tale about pedophilia, child abduction, kidnapping, human trafficking, slavery, rape, impunity, wickedness, religious bigotry and ritual sex.

“Worse still, it is an unfolding drama at the end of which Emir Sanusi Lamido (sic) may well have a case to answer.

“The truth is that the little girl would have been raped over and over again and she may well have Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDs), Vesico vaginal Fistula (VVF) or some other strange sexual disease by now”.

There must be people who enjoy this type of delusion in print, because newspapers give it space.

But Ese does not need it.

What she needs is a quiet and productive reunification with her family, and a lot of time to sort out deeply personal issues.

What we need as a nation is to move on and find other grounds for a quarrel.

Everyone involved in this sensitive issue should examine their roles, or have them examined by those who police accountability.

Where amends or restitutions need to be made, they must be made.

Ese will develop into an adult and decide what she wants to do with her life.

The best way we can help her reach that stage without further damage is to create appropriate distance between her life and our many preferences and prejudices.”

Since this piece was published, Ese was separated from Yinusa Dahiru (alias Yellow) February 2016 and taken home with a five months-old pregnancy.

She delivered a girl three months later.

Yinusa was arrested and detained in prison custody, and has been on trial until last week when he was sentenced to 26 years in prison.

He had pleaded not guilty to all charges.

A newspaper that had vigorous championed Ese’s case quoted her father as saying that an attempt was made to steal the baby at the Police Officer’s Mess in Yenagoa where mother and child were staying.

The same paper interviewed the father in 2018 during which he said all the promises for scholarship and support made by the Bayelsa and Delta State governments for Ese’s education were not fulfilled.

She is now in SS3, living away from, but being supported only by her father.

In all likelihood, Yinusa will appeal.

But the court of sectional opinion is already split right down the middle.

Champions of Ese’s case who paid for her lawyers hail his conviction as rightful vindication.

His sympathisers say he has been abandoned and betrayed by his own people who, in addition cannot raise their voices at the reported cases of Hausa children routinely stolen and taken to the East, culturally re-processed and converted.

Yinusa and Ese have played their roles as pawns, and they will continue to remind us that in most of our fights, there are no winners.

This, however, does not stop us fighting in filth.

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Headlines

Tears, Prayers, and Riyals: A Hajj to Remember with Gov. Yusuf

Published

on

 

By Ibrahim Adam

In the sacred valleys of Mina, where millions gather seeking divine mercy, something unusual happened.

It wasn’t the rituals or the crowd—it was the sight of a Nigerian governor moving quietly from tent to tent, pressing warm greetings into pilgrims’ palms alongside 250 Saudi Riyals, and whispering “Barka da Sallah” like a father would to his children.

That governor was Abba Kabir Yusuf of Kano State. And for the over 3,345 Kano pilgrims under his care, this was more than a religious journey—it became a deeply human experience of being seen, valued, and loved.

“He walked with us,” said Alhaji Musa from Gwale, his voice trembling with emotion. “Not as a politician. As one of us. As a brother.”

A Leader Who Showed Up

Governor Yusuf’s Hajj story didn’t start in Saudi Arabia. Months earlier, in Kano, he stood before hundreds of hopeful pilgrims and made a promise:

“We will not let the burden of cost block your path to the House of Allah.”

Initially, he pledged 200 Saudi Riyals per pilgrim. But upon arrival in the Kingdom, he increased it to 250 Riyals, further surprising the pilgrims with a gesture that felt both generous and personal.

When currency instability threatened the Basic Travel Allowance, he released over ₦376 million in emergency support to ensure each pilgrim received their full $500.

“He didn’t leave us at the airport. He followed us to Makkah, to Mina, to Arafat,” said Hajiya Rabi from Dala.

“He came before everyone, inspected our hotels, tasted our meals, asked about our beds.”

He wasn’t just preparing for the cameras. He was preparing for the people.

In Mina, a Governor Turned Father

Under the scorching Saudi sun in Mina, where sleep is brief and emotions run high, the governor emerged quietly with his team a day after Eid.

No sirens. No announcement. Just warmth.

He moved from tent to tent, personally distributing 250 Riyals to every single Kano pilgrim—3,345 in total. The joy was instant. The emotion, overwhelming.

“When he announced the money, I started crying,” said Hajiya Safiya, an elderly widow from Dawakin Tofa.
“I didn’t expect him to even visit, let alone remember us.”

It wasn’t just about the money. It was the humility of the gesture. The human touch.

Three Square Meals and a Human Connection

For many pilgrims, this was also the most comfortable Hajj they had ever experienced—not in luxury, but in dignity.

• In Makkah, pilgrims received two hot meals daily.

• In Mina and Arafat, where pilgrims often struggle for food, they enjoyed three full meals per day—fresh, consistent, and culturally familiar.

And it wasn’t just the quality of the food. Meals were brought directly to the pilgrims’ doorsteps—ensuring no one was left out or delayed.

This small but thoughtful gesture meant every pilgrim ate on time and with ease.

“I have been to Hajj before,” said Malam Bala, a retired teacher.

“But this time, I was never hungry. I didn’t fall sick. I felt cared for.”

The governor’s presence ensured clean toilets, mobile clinics, and direct coordination with Saudi authorities to ease the movement of pilgrims—especially the elderly.

Words of Guidance, Not Just Gifts

Even amid his generosity, Governor Yusuf remained focused on purpose. He addressed pilgrims in a heartfelt sermon, urging them to pray for peace in Nigeria and to uphold Kano’s good name.

“You are not just here for yourself,” he said.

“You are here for your family, your state, your country. Conduct yourself with humility. Saudi law is strict—stay away from anything suspicious.”

His warning was gentle but firm. His tone—not that of a boss, but of a leader who cares enough to correct you with love.

A Memory Etched in Spirit

What made this Hajj unforgettable wasn’t just the money, the food, or the logistics. It was the presence of a leader who chose to be among his people, not above them.

“When I tell my children about Hajj 2025, I will say: ‘We went with a governor who stood by us, prayed with us, cared for us,’” said Malama Hadiza, her voice cracking.

The phrase “Ya yi mana kamar uba”—He was like a father to us—echoed from tent to tent.

Final Thoughts: A Hajj Beyond Rituals

In the end, it wasn’t the rituals alone that defined this Hajj for Kano pilgrims.

It was the tears shared, the prayers offered, the Riyals gifted—not from a government account, but from a governor’s heart.

Governor Abba K Yusuf reminded everyone watching that leadership is not about distance, protocol, or pride—it’s about presence.

About walking among your people when they are at their most vulnerable. About reminding them they are not alone.

And that—more than the meals, the money, or even the smooth logistics—is what they will remember.

He walked with us. And we will never forget.

Ibrahim Adam is a Special Adviser to the Kano State Governor on Information and Head of Hajj Media Team 2025.

Continue Reading

Headlines

Barka da Sallah:Governor Yusuf Touches Hearts in Mina with ₦361 Million Support for Kano Pilgrims

Published

on

 

In a moving display of compassion and leadership, Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf of Kano State has reached across borders to extend a generous hand of support to 3,345 pilgrims from Kano performing the 2025 Hajj in Saudi Arabia.

During a surprise visit to the pilgrims’ tent in Mina, one of the holiest sites of the Hajj, the governor personally distributed 250 Saudi Riyals to each pilgrim — a heartfelt gesture totaling ₦361,087,500, calculated at an exchange rate of ₦430 per riyal.

The atmosphere in Mina shifted from solemn to joyful as pilgrims received not just money, but a message of solidarity and care from home.

“You are our ambassadors in the holy land,” Governor Yusuf told the pilgrims.

“This small gesture is to show that your state stands with you, prays for you, and appreciates the spiritual sacrifice you are making.”

The governor’s visit, made in the midst of the intense rituals of Hajj, was seen as symbolic — a leader humbling himself among his people in their moment of spiritual devotion.

For many of the pilgrims, the gesture wasn’t just about the money, but about being remembered, honored, and supported far from home.

The Kano State Pilgrims Welfare Board oversaw the smooth and transparent distribution of the funds, ensuring that all 3,345 pilgrims received their share.

In a time when many leaders are accused of being distant from the people, Governor Yusuf’s gesture in Mina stands as a powerful symbol of connected leadership, faith in action, and governance with a human face.

 

Continue Reading

Headlines

Emir Sanusi cancels Sallah durbar 

Published

on

Emir Muhammadu Sanusi II

 

Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim

 

The Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, has cancelled the planned Sallah durbar activities by the Emirate. 

 

KANO FOCUS reports that Sanusi announced the cancelation while addressing journalists at the Kofar Kudu palace.

 

According to him, the cancellation followed his meetings with the Kano State Government, which showed him a lot of evidence of nefarious plans to use his movement to create tension in the state.

 

“After a series of advice, the emirate council has cancelled the Sallah Durbar activities.

 

“Therefore, we are directing all our district heads, wards and village heads to strictly adhere and stay in their location to avoid any unforeseen circumstances,” he said.

 

It will be recalled that the joint security agencies in Kano had on Tuesday insisted that the ban on all forms of Sallah Durbar activities in the state is still in force.

Continue Reading

Trending