HURIWA demands release of 14-year old girl forcefully converted to Islam

Civil Rights Advocacy Group, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), has asked the Federal Attorney General Abubakar Malami (SAN), the Director General of National Anti-Human Trafficking Agency (NAPTIP) Fatima Waziri- Azi to ensure the immediate release from captivity and forced conversion to Islam of the 14 year-old Miss Esther Duniya.

HURIWA reminded the Kaduna State governor and the State’s Attorney General that if their offices fail to free the 14-year-old Esther Duniya from the alleged sexual slavery and forced conversion to Islam, the duo can be dragged to the International Criminal Court in the Haque Netherlands for this specific crime against humanity.

The group, through its National Coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko alerted the National Assembly of the alleged abduction from school and forceful conversion to Islam of the 14 year old Esther Duniya.

The Right group stated that information made available to it is of the fact that this 14 year old Esther Duniya is currently living under Islamic captivity since 5th of April 2023 allegedly by the village head of Doroyi (Sarkin Doroyi) in Ikara local government council of Kaduna State and is allegedly under the illegal custody of the Hakimin Makarfi, in Makarfi local government area of Kaduna State.

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HURIWA is calling on NAPTIP, THE OFFICE OF THE Attorney General of the Federation, Kaduna State governor Nassir Elruffai, Kaduna Attorney General, the Senate’s and House of Representatives Committees on public petitions to immediately, swiftly and comprehensively investigate these allegations, and put mechanisms in place to release this hostage and arrest, prosecute and sanction any person indicted for involvement in this modern day sexual slavery if proven.

“We are alerting the Nation based on a petition sent to us from Kaduna State in which the Hausa Christians Foundation (HACFO) said it is saddened to bring to the notice of the public the continuous systematic persecution of the Northern Christians of Nigeria. Among many of the painful occurrences is the recent abduction, forceful conversion and the abuse of Esther Duniya, an SS1 new Student of Government Secondary School Danlawal Ikara, Ikara LGA.

“As Esther continued to attend her classes, on the 5th of April 2023 she left for school in the morning but couldn’t return home. Esther’s Aunty started looking for her that very day but couldn’t find her. The following day, she was alerted by someone who saw Esther in the house of one Mallam Sani Danmeyamma Danlawal.

“On reaching the house, his daughter by name Mansura, which happens to be Esther’s classmate, confessed that Esther came to her house to help her wash her clothes, but afterward, she left the house. When the matter was reported to the Village head of Danlawal, he summoned and questioned the said Mansura, who later confessed that Esther was taken to Dorayi to the house of one Aisha Basiru.”

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On hearing this, Esther’s Aunty left for Dorayi in search of Esther, and on reaching there she received the shocking news of her life by one Badeyi Bala who claimed to be a Policeman and one Alhaji Lawal who is an aid of the village head of Dorayi (Dogarin Sarkin Dorayi).

“The Dogarin Sarking Dorayi admitted that one Aisha brought Esther to him to convert her to Islam which he did and because of that together with the said Badeyi Bala who claims to be a policeman said that Esther is with them and they will not give her back to the parents since they have now converted her to Islam. When the parents insisted on the return of Esther, these two staff of the village head refused and even threatened their lives.

The petition further asserted that “In view of the threat they received and the refusal for Esther to be returned back to them, Esther’s Aunty went and reported the matter to the Kunkumi Police Station and thereafter the matter was transferred to the Makarfi LGA Divisional Police Station.

The group in the petition received by HURIWA affirmed as follows: “We as Christians understand and appreciate the need for peaceful co-existence among the Christians and Muslims of Kaduna state and even Nigeria as a whole, which is why we the Hausa Christians Foundation, on behalf of the Duniya’s Family decided to write to the Nigerian Government, the Nigerian Police Force and all the relevant laws enforcement agencies to ensure the safe release and return of Esther Duniya back to her family.

“We therefore call on all Christians the World over to be praying for the Christians in Northern Nigeria. The persecution is surging and unbearable; from deliberate abduction, forced conversion to Islam and forced marriage of our young Christians Girls through the help of the Islamic traditional rulers, to the displacement of several communities and kidnapping of many others for ransom even as the petition was dated May 5th 2023.”