The Federal High Court sitting in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, has sentenced Yunusa Dahiru (AKA Yellow), to 26 years imprisonment for child trafficking and sexual exploitation of Ese Oruru. Ese was reportedly abducted by Dahiru in Bayelsa in 2015, taken to Kano State where she was allegedly forcefully married and impregnated by Dahiru. Delivering judgement in the case on Thursday, Justice Jane Inyang, held that Dahiru was not guilty of count one which bothered on abduction.

The judge, however, found him guilty of child trafficking, illicit sex, sexual exploitation and unlawful carnal knowledge. He was jailed five years in count two (Child trafficking), seven years in count three (illicit sex), seven years in count four (Sexual exploitation) and seven years in count five (Unlawful carnal knowledge).

The judge, however, held that the sentences should run consecutively, which means the convict will spend a maximum of 26 years in jail, except if he gets his conviction overturned by the appellate court.

The case of Dahiru and Ese generated a lot of reactions in 2015 when it was first reported. Ese, the daughter of Mr Charles and Rose Oruru, who hail from Uwheru community in Ughelli, Delta State, was allegedly married off to Dahiru without her parents’ consent and subsequently impregnated.

While in Kano, Ese, who was 13 years old at the time, was reportedly converted to Islam and renamed Aisha. Ese was later rescued by the police in Kano with a five-month-old pregnancy, allegedly belonging to Dahiru.