Father of Igbo Girl Abducted In Zaria Cries Out – “Says I Want My Daughter Back”



Ifeoma, now Aisha, is the daughter of Mr. Ndubuisi Nichodemus. She was living with her parents, in the midst of the Hausa community in Zaria, Kaduna State, until May, 2014. On that fateful evening, Ifeoma had left the house in protest against the authority of her moth­er to question her for returning late to the house on the day.

She simply walked out of her parents’ compound into a neighbour’s house, and since 21 months ago to be precise, the family is yet to set their eyes on her.

Ifeoma, now 16, Saturday Sun learnt, might have been converted to Islam, even as her mother disclosed that she gathered reliably that her daughter had been married off. This was the story, told to our reporter in November last year.



Since then, nothing happened. But by last week Wednesday, apparently fol­lowing the public outcry over the abduc­tion of Bayelsa-born Ese, Mr. Nichode­mus was sighted at the Police Command headquarters, in Kaduna. However, neither the Police nor Mr. Nichodemus, was forthcoming on what transpired last Wednesday.

The only thing he told Saturday Sun when pressed further was that “the situ­ation remains the same. Nothing has changed, as my daughter is not back. The Sharia Court handling the mat­ter keeps adjourning the case and as a result, we are still where we were last year”

Speaking during an interview then, Ndubuisi Nichodemus, resident of Sabon-Gari, Zaria, Kaduna State, who appealed to the authorities concerned, to help rescue his daughter, allegedly in the custody of another man since 2014, said her daughter had come home late on that fateful day and felt, as responsible par­ents, she should be scolded. They did, and the girl ran into a neighbour’s house.

Thereafter, he said the girl claimed she had renounced Christianity for Is­lam as her preferred religion, which made one of the neighbours simply identified as Abdullahi to take the girl to one Alhaji Shehu Khalil, who train new converts into Islam. This is even as If­eoma’s biological mother disclosed that she heard reliably that her daughter has been given out in marriage without her knowledge and consent.

According to Nudubuisi, “it all start­ed in May (2014) when she came home late and her mother talked to her. She then left the compound to our neigh­bour’s place. We lived in the midst of Hausa who are majorly Muslims. So, we learnt that Abdullahi has taken her to Mallam, Khalil who work with Ahmadu Bello University, at Energy Research here in Samaru. The next thing we heard was the conversion of our daughter to Islam.

“So after we approached him for the release of our daughter, he told us she had traveled to Sokoto. When we reported the case to the Christian Asso­ciation of Nigeria (CAN) in Zaria, and they wrote to Commissioner of Police Kaduna State, Directorate of State Se­curity (DSS) for assistance, the Police Commissioner, Shehu Umar, sent some of his men to Zaria, that the girl should be handed over to her biological parents.

“But on getting to Zaria, the man has gone to Sharia Court in Zaria to collect a court order, granting him the custody of the girl. This was granted without con­sulting her biological father.

“So, we were told that our daugh­ter had been moved from Zaria to one school called Da-rul Islam in Kaduna where new converts are usually taken to. This attitude is capable of igniting religion crisis in the State. We have been in Zaria for more than three decades without having any issue with anybody.

“Now when we approached the school in Kaduna alongside the CAN representative, the school told us to go and get a written clarification to that ef­fect because there was a written order from court before she was admitted. The school later appealed to us to come and take our girl because she was given them problem. But we need court order to do that.

“Even with the intervention of the Commissioner of Police that the girl should be released to us, the court re­fused to release her and instead trans­ferred the case to upper Sharia court in Zaria.

“In fact, for more than a year now, we have not set our eyes on our own daughter when we are still alive. We are against this impunity that our child will be in custody of another man when we the parents are alive.

“The whole episode had even forced us out of the former house where it all started. We are hereby calling on con­cerned authorities including the State government to come to our rescue. They have aborted her schooling. She has also been kept incommunicado as we are no longer hearing from her. She remains a Christian and not a Muslim as they claim. She is just a 15-year-old girl and that makes her a minor in this case. I want my daughter back so she can con­tinue with her education.”

But Ifeoma’s mother, Angnes Nich­odemus’ view was completely different form her husband’s. She alleged that her daughter was said to have been married out to a Hausa Muslim without the con­sent of her parents.According to her, “I was told that one Hausa boy has been given my daugh­ter, a minor, as wife without our input as parents. I was made to realise that the boy is working inside ABU here in Zaria, though I don’t know whether as a staff of the school or not. This is rather modern oppression and slavery.

“We have been doing everything we could legally. But from the way it has been, it shows we are not one Nigeria. You can imagine how you will feel as a mother when your child is missing. But my daughter’s case is different be­cause for more than a year now she is being in custody of another man. No contact, no phone call. This is rather unfortunate.”

When contacted through his mobile telephone, the man at the centre of the allegation, Alhaji Shehu Khalil, was not ready to give much details on the issues raised.

Instead, he just said “How did you manage to get my number? Who said he has his daughter in my custody? Well, I don’t know anything. You can come to Zaria I don’t know anything because I cannot talk to you on phone.”

The Police on its part, through its Kaduna Command Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Zubair Abubakar, confirmed the incident but declined to comment further, saying “you know the case is still in court and I’m not permit­ted until the court decides


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Girl abducted to Sokoto
March 05
10:27
2016
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Patience Paul, a young Nigerian girl who was abducted and taken to Sokoto has reportedly been rescued from her captors.

The news of her rescue was broken by The Cable, a digital media outlet.

After multiple media outlets reported the incident even as the issue of Ese Oruru was still on the front burner, the Sokoto state government intervened and investigated the matter.

Brother to Patience, Isaac Paul wrote a petition to Sokoto State Police Commissioner about the abduction last year.


It reads:

Sir,

Complaint of Abduction against Suleiman, Monde and Ibrahim Tukur of Gidan Kukah, in Rungin Sambo Area Sokoto

With due respect sir, am here to lay my complaint against the above-named persons. Suleiman and Monde are brothers and also our neighbours, while Ibrahim Tukur is a civil defence officer.

Sir my sister’s name is Patience Paul and the father’s name is Paul Adaji. She got missing since morning of the 12th of August 2015 to an unknown destination. Before she got missing, her character in the house was noticed to have changed. She no longer went to school frequently and the kind of friends she keeps was not ok by her father.

So a plan was made by me, my father and one of my younger sister (Hope Paul) who came from the village to see us, that whenever she’s going back, she would be going with her (i.e. the Patience Paul). So it was arranged and booked that they would be leaving on the 13th of august 2015, but unknown to me and my daddy that my younger sister who came from the village has disclosed to her that she’s leaving Sokoto.

So sir, this was the actual reason she left home. Though I was very furious with that my sister for doing such a thing. So that very same day sir, we started searching for her. There is this Zuru man living opposite our house with his grown up children who are also married and living with him, it’s a very big compound. We suddenly noticed the wife’s coming out to peep at us so I sent one of my elder sister (Anna) to go in there and ask them if the girl is in there. She came back to tell us that while she was going in she overheard one of them saying “even if they ask, she would tell them she didn’t see any girl”. Some almajiri children playing outside the man’s house were asked if they saw her entering the house, they said yes that, she even fetched some water for one of the wife’s.

So I picked up my bike and ran to where the elderly man of the house is working, which is not too far from the house. I reported everything to him and how some almajiri children testified that she entered the house. The elderly man started quarreling, that nobody fetched water in his house that morning.

So I said to him, am just like one of his sons. I didn’t come for quarrel but just for him to come and check because it’s possible that one of his wives is harboring the girl. The man refused. So just as I was about to leave the place, one of his grandsons who was there now testified that they saw her fetching water for one of the wives. Can you hear that I said to the man, this is your own son speaking, let it not be as if we are laying again you. That was when he agreed to come and help me check. So he came and did almost 20 minutes before coming out. When he came out, he asked me to go in and check for myself. So I said to him that am going nowhere, that if she’s there they should just let her out for me, that’s all I want. So one of his grown up child now pleaded with me so I entered. He started showing me empty drums that nobody fetched water in his house that morning for anybody. So that means the almajiri children and his grandson is lying?

I began to think as I leave the house. So that very day coincidentally am having a test in school, because am a student of Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto. And also working with Sokoto Guest Inn hotel’s. So I left for school hoping to come back and report the case to the police. On reaching home from school, my in law (Monday) came to informed me that he has seen a civil defense officer who will assist us.

I now said Ok, am even trying to report the case to the police too. So we invited them into the case and they started investigating the house the following day. It almost results into quarrel between us. So the civil defense guy now calls one of the man’s son aside. I don’t know what they discussed, but he came back and  told us to leave the case for him. So three days after, the civil defense guy came with one of his friend (Almu) to inform us that they have seen where the girl was. We were excited, so we now asked them to come and show us the house or place so we can further confirm by our self since they said they saw her where other Christian girls were kept too.

They started giving us excuses that we should not worry, that the girl they saw was our sister, and the name we gave them was the name they called and the girl was brought out to them. So it continues for another week, going into the third week they refused to bring the girl or agreed to come and show us where they saw her. They even stopped coming to brief us on the ongoing development. So I began to suspect the civil defense guy and his friend Almu.

So I reported the case to kwani police station when one Inspector Aminu advised me to report the guy to his office that his boss will take action against him. So we traced his office to Sokoto south which he told us he is working, they said they didn’t know him. So we came back and started calling him and his friend, they keep telling us they are on duty or busy. So on Friday 4th of September the civil defense guy now asked me to meet him behind police barracks in gidan igwai area. I came and we met, I started quarreling that why they should prolong the case like that he started pleading that he was very busy that’s why. So he told me again that the girl is no longer where we thought but now with Hisbah people. So I now asked him to tell me who handed over the girl to them, he said it’s the two sons of the zuru elderly man (monde and sule) for what reason he said he didn’t know. So I asked him to give me the number of one of the Hisbah people whom I spoke to that very hour and he confirmed to me that yes the girl in question is in their custody. I also spoke with one of their commander who also said that the girl is now Aisha that she has converted to Islam and she has been taken to the kings’ palace. So I now ask him with who’s consent did they do what they did? He was unable to answer me straight forward so we now booked an appointment with him the following day by 11am. That same night I ran back to kwani police station and report the new developments but inspector Aminu was not around. So they asked  me to come back the following day been on Saturday 5th of September. I came he was still not around so one officer directed me to go to CIB office and lay complain to the commissioner of police, that they will investigate the matter and bring everyone to booked. So far the police have arrested  the above  named parsons and  also confirmed from Dr kasarawa the commander of hisbah in our area interrogation is already going on but not impressive.

That’s the reason am here sir. I happened to know one of the late sultan’s son popularly known as (Dan Sarki) where am working. I reported the case to him and he instantly called the head of HISBAH in sokoto who came and also said that the girl in question is in  sultans palace, he told the prince to give him till Monday to bring the girl out but up to this hour she’s still not out, if I call either of them, they keep telling me they are working on it. They are working on it and time is going and delay can be very dangerous. So on Tuesday  8th September, I went to my parish priest and I also reported the case to him and he asked me to see him the following day after calling someone on phone.

Please sir, I want you to use your good office and investigate this matter and bring every one that has a hand in the kidnap of my sister to book. Hope to hear from you soon.

Thanks

Yours faithfully

N.B

Fathers name:  Mr. Paul Adaji

Elder brothers name: Isaac Paul


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