Members of the House of Representatives on Tuesday demanded the immediate prosecution of the abductors of 14-year-old Ese Oruru and her subsequent forcible marriage and conversion to Islam.
The lawmakers asked the Federal Government to bring the “full weight of the law” on the perpetrators of the act to serve as a deterrent to others who might be planning such acts in the future.
The minor had been rescued from Kano State on Monday where she had been taken to by her paedophile captor, Yinusa, aka Yellow.
Ese, who hails from Delta State, was abducted from Yenagoa, Bayelsa State on August 12, 2015.
But, reacting to the development on Tuesday in Abuja, lawmakers said releasing her was not a compensation for the fact that a crime had been committed and her fundamental human rights already violated.
House Minority Leader, Mr. Leo Ogor, said the government must respond to the issue “more forcefully” by ensuring that Yinusa and his accomplices were adequately punished.
Ogor spoke more, “Whether the girl has been released or not released at the moment is not the issue because those people that are involved in the criminality must be brought to book; they must definitely be made to face the wrath of the law.
“We should go further to find out who these culprits are, how were they able to perpetrate such a crime, who are their supporters, who are the people behind this dastardly, attitude and make sure they face the wrath of the law.
“It is just because there were some people crying for these people that was why this crime was exposed. I believe that this attitude is on-going and I think this is not the first of it.
“The public also must speak out at this particular time so that some of these issues can easily be addressed.”
Ese hails from Ugheli-North/Ugheli-South Federal Constituency in Delta State. Her Rep, Mr. Solomon Awhinahwi, also condemned the abduction and demanded the prosecution of the culprits.
“We have the laws to take care of this type of crime. We should enforce them. People should desist from acting as if we don’t have these laws,” he stated.
Awhinahwi disclosed how he resorted to using a “political approach” to try to secure the release of Ese soon after the incident was reported to him.
“I went to meet my colleague from Kano State and he actually travalled to Kano.
“We were working on it before the matter blew open in the public through the efforts of some activists and non-governmental organisations.”, he added.
Punch
