Ese Rita Oruru, a then 13-year-old girl who was kidnapped, forced into marriage, and converted to Islam, has graduated from the University of Ilorin, Kwara State.

She was kidnapped in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State capital, on August 12, 2015, from her mother’s shop by Yunusa Dahiru (alias Yellow), and taken to Kano, where she was raped, forcibly Islamized and married off without her parents’ consent.

Ese was eventually rescued in February 2016 and reunited with her family, already pregnant with a child conceived during her captivity.

The Federal High Court sitting in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State Capital, had in 2020 convicted Yunusa Dahiru and sentenced him to 26 years imprisonment over the abduction of Ese and getting her pregnant in the process.

She graduated from the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) with a second-class upper degree in Education Technology on Thursday, October 23, 2025.

Ese’s mother, Madam Rose Oruru, who confirmed the development to Daily Trust on the phone, said she doesn’t want to talk to the media any longer about her daughter.

But former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, who celebrated Ese’s success on her verified Facebook handle, wrote: “I am super-joyful to honour and celebrate the academic achievement of Ese Oruru!

“Ese graduated 2nd Class Upper Division in Education Technology today at the University of Ilorin and now stands as a testament of what a determined mind can accomplish. Above all, I thank God for Ese. The future holds so much greater promise for this young woman whose life has evolved into an extraordinary inspiration and role model for us all.” (Daily Trust, but headline rejigged)