Ese Oruru: Nigerians Slam Buhari’s Aide, Bashir Ahmad Over Promise To Seek Reversal Of Dahiru’s Conviction
President Muhammadu Buhari’s aide on new media, Bashir Ahmad, has been criticised for promising to influence the court to reverse the conviction of Yunusa Dahiru.
Dahiru, also known as Yellow, had been sentenced to 26 years in jail by the Federal High Court in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, for child trafficking and sexual exploitation of 13-year-old Ese Oruru in 2015.
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The convict, a tricycle operator, was accused of kidnapping Oruru from her mother’s shop in Yenagoa to Kano State, where he allegedly converted her to Islam, impregnated and married her without the consent of her parents.
Justice Inyang Jane, who presided over the court, sentenced Dahiru to 26 years imprisonment on Thursday.
But presidential aide, Ahmad, promised one Hammad Yusuf Saleh on Twitter to influence the decision of the court.
Saleh had tweeted at Ahmad in English: “Please Bashir, do something about Yunusa Yellow for Allah’s sake, he is wrongly accused and sentenced, the whole matter is manipulated, we need to appeal for him.”
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Ahmad responded in Hausa: “My brother, I do not have the power to do anything against the judgment of the court, but I will try to contact those whom I think are capable.”
But the presidential aide came under heavy criticisms from Nigerians, prompting him to issue another statement, denying knowledge of the weight of Dahiru’s offense.
He said, “I commented on the Yunusa Yellow saga earlier, without knowing and understanding the details of the case. Eloping or rather, kidnapping a minor and forcing her to marry you shouldn’t be taken lightly. A condemnable act!”
“Bashir” is currently trending at sixth position on Twitter as Nigerians continue to criticise his comments.
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Some Twitter users said Ahmad’s initial comment was proof that the Buhari administration allegedly influences the Judiciary. Below are some of the reactions:
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