Ese Rita Oruru, who was kidnapped as a 13-year-old and forcibly married, has graduated from the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN), Kwara State, earning a Second Class Upper degree in Education Technology on Thursday, October 23, 2025.

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

She was eventually rescued in February 2016 and reunited with her family, already pregnant with a child conceived during her captivity. In 2020, the Federal High Court sitting in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, convicted Yunusa Dahiru and sentenced him to 26 years imprisonment over the abduction and getting her pregnant in the process.

Ese's mother, Madam Rose Oruru, confirmed the development to Daily Trust on the phone, adding that she no longer wishes to speak to the media 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."