Nigerians want tougher penalties for rapist as Barakat Bello is ‘raped’, murdered in Ibadan
The recent cases of rape and killings across Nigeria is leading a call for the review of rape and sexual-assault prosecution in Nigeria.
In the past month some of the reported cases of sexual assault that has sparked outrage include – the gang rape of 18-year-old Jennifer by five boys in Kaduna State, rape and murder of 22-year-old Uwaila Omozuwa in Benin, Edo State, rape of 12-year-old girl, Farishina, by 11 men in Jigawa state and the latest – the rape and killing of 18-year-old Barakat Bello in Ibadan, Oyo State.
These are just few among the many reported cases of sexual assault that made it to the media and trended on social media with hashtags like #JusticeForJennifer, #JusticeForUwa, #JusticeForAda, #JusticeForBarakat among others to demand justice for rape victims and also call on the government to take sexual assault prosecution more seriously.
International human rights organisation, Amnesty International, called on President Muhammadu Buhari to declare rape as a national crisis.
Amnesty in a Twitter statement on Wednesday wrote, “The rape and murder of 18-year-old student, Barakat Bello in Ibadan is shocking: Amnesty International is calling on the Nigerian authorities, Buhari to declare a national crisis on rape. Women and girls safety must be paramount across Nigeria.
“Government’s response to Rape continues to be, woefully inadequate. Frequent reports of rape across #Nigeria is gruesome reminder of the violence women and girls face. Violence against women and girls are often not properly registered or investigated. #JusticeForBarakat. In Nigeria conviction rates for rape are very low and this must change now.”
A former Director General of the Bureau of Public Service Reform, Dr Joe Abah tweeted: “This national epidemic of raping and killing young girls needs to stop. The police must get to the bottom of it and get #JusticeForBarakat.”
A Twitter user with the handle @_Fareed tweeted: “A real man fights for a woman, he doesn’t fight her. He doesn’t let his urge to control him. I say no to Rape, I support death sentence to rapist.
In 2019, a report by NOIPolls revealed that one in every three Nigerian girls would have experienced at least one form of sexual assault by the time they reach 25 years. Many online protesters calling for tougher penalties for rapist believe that when the laws are reviewed to hand out tougher penalties it will deter the perpetrators and drastically reduce the number of rape cases across the country.
The Nigerian Senate in its resolutions at its plenary on Tuesday also called on State Houses of Assembly to amend the penal and criminal code to make penalties for rape and sexual assault stiffer so as to deter perpetrators.
The Director General of Kano Metropolitan Agency, Engr Abdullahi Ramat, also gave his support for tougher penalties for rapist.
He tweeted, “Many Rapist got off scot-free for pervasive apathy. As horrific as it is, the case in Edo and Jigawa made it all nude. Serial porn of injustice everywhere you look. I personally urge the Government to stipulate death sentence for Rapist. No mercy for merciless”.
A medical doctor, Chima Ihueze also wrote on Twitter: “Until our lawmakers make penile amputation or death sentence the penalty for rape, these idiots won’t stop”.
Few states like Edo, Ekiti have made moves to promulgate laws to make penalties for rape stiffer.
An Executive Bill titled: “A Bill for a Law to Repeal the Ekiti Gender-Based Violence, (Prohibition) Law, 2011 and enact the Ekiti Gender-Based Violence, (Prohibition) Bill, 2019”, submitted by the Ekiti State Government to the State House of Assembly in October 2019 proposes life imprisonment for anyone found guilty of rape in the state.
Governor Kayode Fayemi also announced in 2019 that the state would regularly name and shame every person, who has been convicted for sexual crimes.
In Edo, the state government signed the Violence Against Persons (VAP) Law in 2019 to address all forms of violence and protect vulnerable members of the society.
The law prohibits violence against all persons and provides maximum protection and effective remedy for victims and punishment for offenders and other related matters.
