Yunusa Dahiru, a tricycle operator popularly known as Yunusa Yellow, made national headlines ten years ago when he was accused of abducting 13-year-old Ese Oruru, a JSS 3 student of Opolo Community Secondary School, Bayelsa State. He was also accused of converting her to Islam without her consent.
The story dominated national media after Ese's parents publicly pleaded for her release, with her mother's emotional appeal drawing the attention of the government and Nigerians across the country.
Following intense public and media pressure, Ese was traced to Kano and rescued by the police in February 2016. She was reunited with her family in March that year. Upon her rescue, it was discovered that she was five months pregnant. She later gave birth to a baby girl.
In 2020, Yunusa was arraigned before the Federal High Court in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, on a five-count charge related to Ese's alleged abduction. He was accused of taking her to his village in Kano, where he allegedly converted her to Islam with the intention of marrying her.
The court convicted him on all counts -- abduction, child trafficking, sexual exploitation, and unlawful carnal knowledge -- and sentenced him to 26 years in prison.
However, Yunusa appealed the judgment, and the Court of Appeal later reduced his sentence to seven years, ruling that the lower court had erred in its decision.
In June 2023, the Nigerian Correctional Service confirmed that Yunusa, now 34, had completed his jail term and was released from prison.
Yunusa's case had sparked nationwide debates on child trafficking, forced marriages, religious conversion, and inter-state legal jurisdiction. It also brought to light issues of youth vulnerability and poverty.
Interestingly, in October 2025, Ese Oruru, the girl at the centre of the saga, graduated from the University of Ilorin with a Second-Class Upper degree in Education Technology.
Ten years after the controversy, Weekend Trust caught up with Yunusa "Yellow." He spoke about his ordeal, life after prison, and the events that led to his conviction.
In an emotional recollection, Yunusa maintained that he never abducted Ese, insisting that she came to Kano of her own free will. According to him, Ese had earlier informed her mother about her desire to convert to Islam after having a dream that moved her spiritually. He claimed he advised her to first consult her mother before making such a decision.
"I had no hand in her conversion to Islam," he said. "I never discussed with her about coming to Kano. When I heard she had come to my village looking for me, I took her to the Emir's palace because I knew keeping her in my house would cause trouble. That's why I involved the authorities.
"I later learnt that a friend of mine gave her my address. When her family came from Bayelsa to search for her, they accused me of abduction and wanted to take me back with them. But many prominent people in Kano rejected that demand. The truth is, Ese came on her own," he said.
Yunusa explained that his ignorance of the law worsened his situation during the trial. "During the court proceedings, I fell sick and missed some sessions. Because I couldn't provide a doctor's report, my bail was revoked," he recalled.
He also expressed shock at what he described as Ese's "false testimony" against him.
"She swore on the Bible and lied that I brought her to Kano. The truth is, I had come to Kano months before she arrived. There was no love between us -- we were only casual friends. To God who made me, I never knew she would come to Kano looking for me," he said.
Yellow maintained that despite the fact that he had never had any canal knowledge of Ese, her family had claimed that he impregnated her and that she had dput to bed. According to him when the Court demanded to see the baby, they couldn't produce the baby," he said.
'How can I impregnate her when nothing happened between us. It then dawnedon me that they wanted to soil my name and social status.
Yellow further said that when it was clear that they were just cooking up stories, he personally demanded to see the baby even though the baby's gender was never revealed to him. "I told them, whatever the case, I would accept the baby if they produced it before me, but up till this moment, I haven't set my eyes on the so called baby," he revealed.
Yellow said the issue of Ese being pregnant for him was just an attempt to paint him black before the public. He said, they were all out to ensure that he was punished for their daughter's dids.
"Unfortunately, I lost everything during the trial," Yunusa lamented. "My family sold our farmland and other valuables to finance the case in Bayelsa, which is far from Kano. Our house was destroyed by rain, and my family had to relocate to my in-law's home. I was left with nothing but my life."
He said although some well-meaning Nigerians offered help, most of the support never reached him.
"Senator Rabi'u Musa Kwankwaso bought a tricycle for me, paid my wife's dowry, and advised me to be careful in life. The late Alhaji Aminu Dantata sponsored my appeal, which reduced my sentence from 26 to seven years, and he also rebuilt my house. Others, like Barrister Badi'a and Dauda Kahutu Rarara, helped me too. But much of the support from other sources never got to me," he said.
Yunusa described his prison experience as "too painful to remember."
"The feeling of being convicted for an offence you didn't commit is a trauma of its own," he said. "But as a Muslim, I believe everything that happened was destined by God."
He recalled that Ese sometimes sent greetings to him while he was in prison, but he refused to acknowledge them. "She sent greetings through my friend, but I told him not to bring me any message from her again. If she had told the truth in court, things would have been different," he said.
Yunusa added that fellow inmates often mocked him for allegedly abducting a minor, and no one cared to hear his side of the story.
He, however, praised his wife for standing by him. "She vowed never to leave me, even after my 26-year sentence. Members of the Hausa entertainment industry supported her to survive while I was in prison. She prayed that I would be released before the 26 years, and by God's mercy, it happened," he said.
Since his release, Yunusa said life has been extremely difficult. The tricycle given to him by Kwankwaso and part of his family's farmland had been sold during the court proceedings.
"The farm we depended on is gone. Now, I work on people's farms to survive. I earn about ₦2,000 a day when there's work, but sometimes I go days without any job," he said.
A father of two, Yunusa said he named his youngest son after the late Alhaji Aminu Dantata in appreciation of the businessman's kindness. "He gave me hope and treated me like a son. I named my son after him to honour his memory," he said.
'I'll relocate if Ese comes looking for me again'
When asked what he would do if Ese ever sought him out again, Yunusa replied, "I will relocate to Katsina for my safety. I don't want to see or hear anything about her again."
He expressed gratitude to the people of Kano and northern Nigeria for standing by him during his ordeal and appealed to Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf and other well-meaning Nigerians to help him rebuild his life.
"I want to return to my tricycle business. I've paid dearly for something I didn't do. I just need a little help to get back on my feet," he said.