The young man, Yinusa, a Muslim-Fulani, who recently abducted, Miss Ese Oruru, a Christian-Urhobo, resident in Bayelsa State, forcefully converted her to Islam, willy-nilly married her, raped and impregnated her under his father’s roof, in Kano, no doubt acted with audacious impetuosity. Could it be that Yinusa (aka Yellow) views Miss Oruru and her family, as culturally and religiously inferior, and as persons who can be treated as one pleases, without any consequence? It appears so. Indeed, Yinusa operates within a cultural time-warp that makes him view the underage Ese, as an object; which he can forcefully acquire for his personal entertainment.
This cultural and religious impetuosity may have been emboldened by the emergence of President Mohammadu Buhari (PMB), a Muslim-Fulani, as the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Perhaps, the protagonists of this cultural imperiousness, now believe that with one of their own, as the Commander-in-Chief, the secular authority of Nigeria can be subpoenaed and suborned, to accede to this cultural and religious superiority? It is also possible that the other variant of this burgeoning malaise may be the increasing audaciousness of some Fulani herdsmen, for long terrorising parts of the country.
I recall that while President Goodluck Jonathan held sway, as President, I had argued on this page, that his emergence, may have induced in his kinsmen, a sense of unbridled entitlement, to the wealth of this country, which is mainly from the hydrocarbon energy sourced from their backyard. Indeed, the recent exposure of the daredevil, criminal aggrandizement of the resources of this country during Jonathan’s era, substantially by his kinsmen, seems to have validated that enquiry? So, could the audacious abduction, forced marriage and rape of Ese Oruru, and a few more like her; the braggadocios appropriation of other peoples’ farmland as grazing fields by gun-running Fulani herdsmen across the country; the alleged warmongering actions, by Hausa-Fulani lads in Ketu, Lagos, last week, be PMB’s kinsmen’s way of asserting their new privilege in the Nigerian project?
Before the young man, Yinusa, took Ese from Bayelsa to Kano, to present to his family, as a piece of ware from his sojourn in far-away land, he obviously had no scintilla of doubt that he was acting within his rights and would easily secure the support of his family, the traditional authority and his religious leaders in that venture. True to this assertion, Yinusa’s father, no doubt, warmly and excitedly welcomed him, and went ahead to mobilize his cultural ambassadors and religious authorities, to bless the marriage. Significantly, when Ese’s ‘inconsequential parents’ showed up in Kano, and raised their objections to the abduction and forced marriage of their 13 year old daughter, Yinusa’s father quickly and effortlessly mobilized the traditional institutions and religious leaders, to defend their son’s well-earned prize from his sojourn.
Unfortunately, it is not only Yinusa that suffers from this aberration apparently arising from an inherent abnegation or lack of recognition of any other superior mores or laws, which we call the constitution or other statutes of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. It appears that Yinusa and his collaborators (including Yinusa’s family and those conscripted from within the Kano emirate council), sees the Nigerian constitution, the Criminal Code or the recently enacted Child Rights Law, as all inferior to their superior tradition and beliefs, regardless of what the rest of us may think. Indeed, if the mother of Miss Oruru was of any importance to those who stole her daughter, her trip to Kano in search of her daughter would have provided an opportunity for Yinusa’s family to attempt to woo their in-law.
Had Yinusa’s father who is now blabbing in defence of his son considered Ese’s father or his family to be of any value, he would have taken a trip to Bayelsa, after his son returned with ‘his bride’, to respectfully ask his potential in-laws, to give or bless their daughter’s hand in marriage even if Yinusa’s family had unilaterally imposed the marriage. If for one reason or another, Yinusa’s father was indisposed, for the several months that Ese was under his son’s forced custody, he would have grabbed the opportunity when Ese’s father humiliatingly came to Kano in search of his daughter to show some respect to him and his family by making peace overtures to him.
As narrated by Ese’s mother, in an interview, she was not allowed into the Sharia court that was supposedly dealing with Ese’s matter not minding that the woman was not just an interested party, but was actually a party, if indeed there was any cause, for judicial intervention; both as a parent, and as a friend of Ese, considering that her daughter was an under-age at the time the Sharia court was pretentiously adjudicating her matter. According to Ese’s mother, a certain traditional office holder, in the Kano emirate council, warned her not to go near her daughter or touch her, for either the daughter or herself would have to die for such an act. To give a façade that her daughter has become privileged, the fraudsters organized a charade by chauffer-driving the girl into the Emir’s palace, even as their in-law was treated as a non-person.
The other manifestation of this strange authority to kidnap, rape and maim, is from the marauding Fulani herdsmen, ravaging many parts of Nigeria. The recent clash in Benue State that claimed many lives and the destruction of properties worth several millions of naira between some herdsmen and some villagers is just one manifestation of this malady. Like in Benue, many communities across the country have had gruelling experiences and scars from similar tragedies. In fairness, while this crisis have been manifesting for a long time before the emergence of PMB, it appears the situation has degenerated dangerously. Of course, I am not suggesting that the President is giving any form of support to these criminalities. I am only arguing that his privileged position, may have provided some audacious impetus, to some of his misguided kinsmen, like Yinusa or the herdsman with AK47 riffle.
Thanks to Punch newspaper, of last Sunday, Nigerians have become aware of other variants of Ese Oruru. According to the report, there is one Progress Jacob, aged 13, forcefully abducted by Musa, in January now forcefully converted and re-named Aishat. Another is Blessing Gopep, now re-named Mariam, aged 12 when stolen, by Iliya and Umaru in August 2015. Also mentioned is one Linda Christopher, now re-named Aisha, stolen at 16, in November 2015. Finally, is Lucy Ejeh, now re-named Lewusa, and aged 15, when stolen in October 2009. According to the report, a so-called Sharia Commission has assumed jurisdiction over the custody of the girls, and the parents have been asked to come for negotiation.
I hope the President would quickly send a clear message, to Yinusa and company by openly supporting their prosecution under the relevant laws. Also, the Emir of Kano, and other Moslem leaders, should quickly ensure that any person involved in similar abduction, rape or maiming of other Nigerians, on the false altar of culture or religious allowance is handed over to the police for prosecution. In our country’s interest, secular and religious authorities must join hands to stop these madness.
