Rape Is Murder -By Adetunji Ayobrown

Arise oh Compatriots

Rape is terrorism

Assault worst than epidemic

Left victims with unhealed bruises

A lifetime unhealed injuries

Spare a rapist, kill many women

Shift your mind to shift your body

Stand against Rape

You want to see pain and agony,

Have a chat with a rape victim

As if she is condemned

Rape is murder, it does more than damages

Nigeria should fiercely fight this menace

Rapist should be treated like Coronavirus

-Ayobrown

Chemical castration in the name of hormonal therapy will surely cure them of their sexuality epilepsy. This and many more where recommendations as stipulated for all rapists by the angry protesters. Where else do you seek sanctuary and study undisturbed, if not the house of God? That was the exact place the beasts pounced on the innocent girl. Not only was she beaten, but also gang-raped and her head broken by her assailants.

I don’t think I can express myself in words, details of every surprise attacks of rapes in recent times are alarming and worrisome. As if they are numbered episodes, from one incident to another, all seem to pop up in series but the epidemic did not just start with the recent cases.

Only the croaky hands of death itself can be likened to that of a rapist, a 65year old victim narrated her terrible experience spanning over forty years.

But when someone travelled as far as Morocco to marry a thirteen year old girl as a wife claiming his religion permits it. Many are wondering how to describe that. Forcing any girl or any other person into the act is criminal. But what caused the recent increase baffled the analysts, because for some weeks now, most often topping the banner headlines are the issue of rape. The frequent occurrences make one wonder if nothing has ever been done against such incidences before now; it’s so pathetic that anyone can predict when another would happened.

What has overwhelmed many of us in recent time and which is on the lips of many Nigerians is nothing else but rape. Imagine how sad it is a young girl, Uwavera Omozuwa was unfortunately raped and killed in a church. The reality of the occurrence sent a shock wave into my bone marrow, just like I believed it happened to most Nigerians, surely, the feelings it gave are yet to be overcome by many. Omozuwa who was in her 100-levels, in the University of Benin, Edo state was brutally murdered after she had been sexually violated inside a church. As that was not enough. Barely a few days later and right inside her home, a 17-year-old was attacked by three men. Barakat Bello, a National Diploma student of the Federal College of Animal and Production Technology, in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, met a similar fate in the hands of rapists.

It has become alarming and worrisome. Taking place at almost the same time is another incident in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, where a girl hawking sachet water was violently gang raped and hospitalised after she was attacked by hoodlums wielding broken bottles. Not too long in memory, is the death of 13-year-old Elizabeth Ogbaje after she was repeatedly raped by a man she was living with and his son. Abused since she was eight, later developed vesico-vaginal fistula (VVF), a medical complication that ultimately hastened her premature death.

But when the fell is born of death, it must have a prize, may be safest place in Nigeria today truly is the prison. But how can life be this way? The chord that strikes in many minds is on the issue of rape. Why do people rape? Whether ordinary or beyond ordinary, one must be involved. For the culprit’s madness, stupidity and even gullibility that is ordinary but spiritual angle, which many don’t want to accept the existence, some said is also at play. So whichever of the sides you belong, you must have your reasons.

The men are mostly responsible, they are the culprit, some wondered how could that be, and some others argued that it could be as a result of the way the ladies dressed or carried themselves. If you take note of the recent rape cases, from that of Uwa in Edo to Barakat in Oyo, the victims have something in common, they are virgins and where the rapists are recognised by the victims, they get killed.

This is said, many think these actions are for ritual purposes, many Nigerians are of the opinion that the people should rise up and destroy every shrine, else these things will continue. Because without the shrine or witch doctor demanding such actions will not happen.

If sex is really a thing of the mind and one must be in certain zone to maintain an erection, then how is it that after seeing tears and pains on the faces of their victims, they don’t feel bad for their actions.

It seems they got stuck in the primitive instinct of uncontrolled sexuality. A prize paid in life taken; whatever anyone searching under another person’s skirt is looking for, the person should be ready for whatever payment. Except extraordinary measures that it demands is taken, we may not be able to check the menace. We really need to be drastic to curb this callousness.

If not for something beyond ordinary how can four masked men gang-raped a 12-year-old girl in Lagos, something that can be liken to Corona is rape, but only in epidemic category.

That of Niger state where a 25-year-old raped a 85-year-old woman, many wondered how to classify that. A student kissing three-year-old in a viral video, has been nabbed by police. Another seventy-year-old woman in Ogun raped by truck driver while she was asleep.the list is endless.

Rape continues because of people like you, your disposition towards the victims and their cases. Imagine a viral video showing that broadcaster’s arrest for ‘criticising’ Lai Mohammed, arrest of suspect in the Uwaila Omozuwa rape case. Whether we bother or not to know why they did what did, but they did it, that is what matters, no excuse. Let us all not keep quiet, the better for our society if we speak out.

Research linked the handling of rape by the criminal justice system with the gender inequality found in patriarchal communities as reason for this. Many said, Nigeria’s patriarchal society is partly to be blamed for the recent scourge.

Should we say people like violences against others because it makes them feel good, I guess, or they find it to be satisfying one way or the other. Remove satisfaction the act becomes hollow. It is so sad that rape is being perpetrated without the culprits being decisively dealt with. And to make matter worst, some rape apologists put the blame on the victims, nothing but castration, if not death penalty for rapists may not be too much to ask for. Only this would serve as a deterrent to other intending rapists. This nonsense must stop now!

Who is the next victim, our girls and women now live in fear, as nobody knows who the next casualty would be. This is because the government has failed to check the rising cases of violence against women. But beyond the outrage, let us all fight these heinous crimes with all our mights.

Many are of the opinion that it is high time for Nigeria to have a database for sex offenders because they’re likely to repeat their actions once they are off the hook. This no longer seems to be ordinary. Many would want ‘I stand against rape’ to be part or be the very beginning another stanza as an important verse of our national anthems. Driven by societal insecurity not to mention cultural infused competitions, my heart goes out to the poor victims, whose for no fault of theirs fell. Manhood is not weapon to destroy but a tool to build.

#Istandagainstmarriagesforunderagegirls