Yunusa Dahiru,leaving the court today

Yunusa Dahiru, the man who abducted a 14 year old girl and took her to Kano state to marry and convert to Islam, was docked today in Yenagoa.

He was arraigned at a Federal High Court on a five-count charge of abduction, illicit sex and unlawful canal knowledge among others.

Yunusa was arraigned before Justice H. A. Nganjiwa amid tight security.

According to charge sheet No: FHC/YNG/17c/2016, the case is between the Inspector General of Police and Yunusa Dahiru ‘M’, aged 18.

When the charges were read to him, Yunusa pleaded not guilty to them.

Counsel for the prosecution, Mr Kenneth Dika, said the state was ready to prove its case against the accused.

Dika said the state was ready with six witnesses to ensure successful prosecution of the case.

Counsel to Yunusa, Mr Kayode Olaosebikan, applied for bail for his client, adding “I am confident of winning the case. In fact, there is no case.

Ese Oruru

“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.

“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”, Olasebikan said.

The case was adjourned to March 14 for hearing of the bail application by Olaosebikan.

The man also known as Yellow was said to have abducted the minor in August last year from Bayelsa State.

She took the girl to  Kano State where Ese was reportedly forced into marriage and converted into Islam. All this he did without getting the parents’ consent.

Ese, who was re-united with her parents last week in Abuja,  is also said to be carrying the pregnancy of his child.