Sexual Abuse in a Church or in Our Society: The Deeper Life School Incident in Perspective -By Saliu Momodu

As we speak, a scandal is brewing over the physical, emotional and sexual abuse of a 12 years old school boy in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom state capital.

The family of the victim are alarmed and demanding justice on those who not only starved their son in the boarding school he attends, but had also sexually and physically violated him even through his anus.
This ugly incident is gaining more attention because the school in question belongs to the Deeper Life Christian Ministry, a puritan christian organization known publicly for overtly upholding christian values as they know and believe them to be true.

As a Muslim myself, I cannot equally or possibly be a christian at the same time, yet can never become jubilant or sadistic over this deplorable occurrence knowing well it could never be condoned by the particular christian denomination now in the eye of the storm nor approved by the Bible they hold as scripture.

But it baffles and saddens me to encounter how so many, especially over the internet have turned this into an instrument for blackmail and vilification against the church in particular and against all those in general who hold conservative values.

Rather than scrutinize the many social and cultural enablers that have more than contributed to this depraved acts of violence, many can only behold an avenue to gloat and deride.

Pornography, parental absence, unfettered internet access by under-age and young people, etc which continue to plague society have all been conveniently left out of the conversation as people take to the internet to derogate the denomination and whatever laudable impact they have undoubtedly represented over the years. Psychologists, psychiatrists and other experts have inextricably tied many of these deplorable behavior to early childhood abuse – unsavory exposure to harmful information not the least among factors.

Hence, fair pragmatism need be employed in this development so as to segregate between the man and the malady. It is on record for example that members of this christian group amongst several other exemplary feats have been at the forefront against examination malpractice in any way, shape or form. This much is common knowledge about them in whatever school or institution they are noticably present. We know also that the family in this matter are not members of the denomination but have only enrolled their child there in pursuit of the choiced quality of education that has come to be attributed to the school.

Those sparing no effort at heralding secular morality or a total lack thereof, and those who have always made conservative values of religion as their target are now hidding under the plight of a young victim and his distraught family to bash, slander and vilify an entire group of people owing to the despicable actions of some who evidently have been acting mischievously against the standard of the collective.
Rather than continue with this shameful blackmail and sadistic attitude, all decent people everywhere should demand justice for the victim and his family; prosecution of all those culpable, and for proper medical, psychological, emotional and social rehabilitation of the poor victim.

In addition, rather than for curtailing free and responsible speech, the conversation about moderating the internet against unfettered access of its harmful contents especially to our young and innocent children should be on the front burner.

This conversation must as a matter of urgency be escalated to our States Houses of Assembly and onward to the National Assembly so we can find an effective and lasting shield to save the mind, character and innocence of our children from the pollution of gruesomeness, lewdness, profanity, pervasion as well as the moral, ethical and emotional imbalance that come with such unacceptable exposure to unguarded internet contents.

It is instructive to know that stories and cases of physical and sexual abuses such as this are almost common place amongst people who pass through our boarding secondary schools especially the public ones. To only hear hues and cries when the site of trouble is perceived to be a religious or conservative domain is to downplay a serious problem and overlook those victims left in it’s wake.

This in summary is a problem present in a society that includes all of us. To see it this way and to so respond is the real challenge before us on this matter.

Saliu Momodu
saliumomoh123@gmail.com