The Nation Newspaper

Tag: rape

  • Scary statistics on rape of minors, others

    Scary statistics on rape of minors, others

    51 minors were sexually abused or raped in Enugu State between April and August. Activists and police paint similar pictures all over the country. Assistant Editor SINA FADARE takes a look at the hurdles preventing victims from getting justice as well as the psychological trauma afflicting child victims of sex predators  

    It was supposed to be a private discussion between two friends, but it got leaked into public domain by chance. Ms. Olu Ilelabaje could not hold herself back at Mulero Bus-stop along Agege-Pen Cinema axis of Lagos metropolis. She was carried away with her discussion with a friend of hers, not minding who was listening, but the tenacity and the seriousness of her discussion attracted this reporter who was nearby waiting endlessly for a bus that refused to come.

    At some point, she looked at the side of this reporter when she guessed that he was equally paying a rap attention to what she was discussing with her childhood friend. Ore, (friend) she repeatedly asked, “How can a sensible man rape her own daughter who is just 11 years old?” At this point, she looked at the direction of her friend for an answer, her eyes misty and voice shaking. Though her friend scolded her with her eye that she should realise that the place was inappropriate to discuss such an issue, Ilelabaje’s tongue was wagging, battling within herself either to cry or to talk as if sharing her burden would help her overcome her challenges.

    By the time this reporter moved closer to her, telling her to relax, she quickly recovered, saying “thank you sir.” After knowing the identity of this reporter with a promise that she could get justice if she wanted any about what happened to her first born, she volunteered to pour out her mind later at her friend’s place. She alleged that her first husband, simply identified as Lookman, was a wife beater, which was the reason behind the collapse of their marriage. Since her mother-in-law insisted that she would not take the first daughter of the family away, the embattled woman left the first born behind when walking out of the marriage, but was allowed to go with the last born who was a year old when they separated.

    “Her mother promised to take care of the girl who was six years’ old then and that l am free to see her any time. But last year, l was told the father took the girl from his mother with the excuse that he needed someone to send on errands and this did not give me the opportunity to see her frequently as I used to do when she was with my mother in law.

    “But l was shocked when my friend who lives in the neighborhood, which my former husband stayed at Akowojo area, called me that l should leave everything l was doing and come over to her place. On getting there, l learnt that my daughter had narrated to her how her father had had sex several times with her.” Ilelabaje who said she almost collapsed when she was told and after interrogation, “my daughter told me everything her father has been doing to her with a strict warning that she should not tell anybody.”

    It took this reporter a lot of persuasions and assurances before Rukayat (not real name) could express her feelings and how her father cajoled her with a promise to buy her a lot of clothes and shoes before she was deflowered. According to her, the constant pain she was experiencing each time her father mounted her and his repeated warning not to discuss with anybody, including her friends, encouraged her to tell her mother’s friend.

    Amidst sobs, she narrated her experience: “The first night was painful and when the pain was much and I was crying profusely, my father went to a nearby chemist shop to buy me some pain relievers and toiletries for my use. He spared me for two days before she resumed and each time he wanted to do it, I was always in pain. That was when l told my mother’s friend. My father almost killed me for taking such a step.”

    Similarly, the experience of Wednesday September 10 will remain evergreen in the minds of Mr. and Mrs. Idris of No 11, Adedoyin Street, and Palm Grove, Lagos mainland. It was the day their 5 year old daughter, Mariam was sexually assaulted by a miscreant who took the advantage of the family’s absence from home. Both parents had gone out in search of means of livelihood, leaving their kids in the hands of their neighbours. The Nation gathered that the couple usually left home very early leaving the their three kids, two boys and a girl in care of their neighbours whose environment is surrounded with miscreants, who are always loitering around the neighborhood.

    That day, one of the miscreants identified as Michael a.k.a Iku (death) took advantage of the parents’ absence, and sneaked into the house while the other children were playing outside. When the father who came earlier saw her daughter, he found his daughter in an extremely calm situation, forcing him to ask her what was amiss. Upon more interrogation, she pointed to her private part, saying “this place is paining me.” At this point, the mother was said to have arrived from her daily routine and both examined their daughter’s private part and discovered semen and blood all over her. They both pleaded with the little girl to tell them what happened with a view to identifying the culprit. Mariam led her parents to the neighborhood where about 10 miscreants were having fun, and pointed to Michael as the culprit.

    Michael later confessed after he was arrested by the police from Pedro station. Investigation by The Nation revealed that Michael was a serial rapist in the vicinity and was always going scot-free because his father was one of the landlords. It was learnt that his father was using his influence to shield him whenever he committed the heinous crime.

    These  cases are just a fraction of the numerous cases of violation of minors in the recent time, either by their father, hoodlum or rapist. And it seems the society is helpless in putting a check to all these social crimes. More worrisome is the age of these victims, ranging from age 3 to 11. Perhaps that was why a chief magistrate at Badagry Court, Mr. Abiodun Effi, refused to grant bail to Uche Umere, 22, for allegedly raping a three-year-old girl. He ordered him to be reminded at the Badagry Prisons till the next hearing of the case on October 21. Umere was arraigned on a two-count charge of sexual assault and indecent treatment of a child.

    The prosecutor, Inspector Innocent Uko, told the court that the accused committed the offence on July 2014 at Seventh Day Adventist Church, Badagry. Uko said that the accused lured the victims to the back of the Church and assaulted her sexually, adding that while he was carrying out his nefarious act, the victim screamed for help to the hearing of a passerby who rescued the girl from the accused. The big question that still remains unanswered is: What could have attracted any sane person to the extent of raping a three-year-old girl?

    Though there is poor statistical data on available incidences of minors rape in the country, the recent one made available in Enugu was not only alarming; it is gave cause for concern. The Executive Director of Women Aid Collective, Mrs. R. Ezeilo, said  51 minors were sexually abused or raped in Enugu State between April 2014 and August 2014. According to her, the cases include 30 rape cases, four attempted rapes, 10 sexual assaults, 37 defilements and 15 other cases of domestic violence, adding that the cases emanated from 14 local government areas of the state.

    Last February, while still serving as the commissioner of police in Lagos State, Umar Manko, now an Assistant Inspector General of Police, said no fewer than 132 rape cases were reported to the police in 2013. Although he did not give a breakdown of the figure and the people involved, the police boss said rape was among the 30 offences in the state. He added that while rape moved from 129 in 2012 to 132 in 2013, murder rose from 106 to 111 for the years under review, stressing that his command was working hard to reduce the incidents of crime in the state through the training of its personnel and the deployment of intelligence gadgets. This implies that no fewer than 11 girls or women were reportedly raped in the state every month last year, while one lady was raped every three days. Worse still, many of the recent rapes in the country involve very young children, including toddlers, who are sometimes raped by men old enough to be their grandfathers. In 2013, the Central Hospital, Benin, in Edo State, said it recorded no fewer than 80 cases of rape between March and mid-October. The pathologist who disclosed this, Dr. Jude Uchendu, said that more than 90 percent of the rapes were not committed by strangers, but by people well known to the victims, such as neighbours and blood relations.

    In the Niger Delta, one in ten women surveyed said she was either raped or survived a rape attempt last year, meaning that more women were raped in the region than any other part of the country last year, a recent crime survey published by CLEEN Foundation said. The incidence of rape in the region was higher than the national average by 100 per cent. The survey showed that the national average of victims was five per cent – one in every 20 women surveyed. It also showed that the national incidence of rape almost doubled from three per cent in 2011 to five per cent in 2013. “The incidence of rape has been on the increase from 3 per cent in 2011 to 5 percent 2013 within its geopolitical zones,’’ the report said.

    Similarly, in Kano State, no fewer than 100 cases of rape were recorded in Kano courts in 2013. Out of this number, only 40 rapists were convicted. Also, in Anambra State, some non-governmental organisations working on sexual violence last year recorded 115 incidents of rape, out of which 12 were investigated by the police. In February this year, a serial rapist was arrested by officials of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, for allegedly raping four children of different parents at Ndibe in Afikpo North Local Government Area of the state. These are just a few examples, as rape cases abound in all parts of the country.

    Although the reported cases are only a tip of the rape iceberg, as most cases are not reported because of the stigma attached to it in the country, the survey done by the CLEEN Foundation can provide a glimpse of the enormity of the problem. With 10 per cent incident of rape or attempted rape, the South-south region took the inglorious title of having the highest rape cases, followed by the North-east – 6 per cent, while the South-west region and North -west regions had statistics of one in every 25 women – four percent each. The North-central followed with three per cent – one in every 33 women polled, while the South -east had the lowest incidence rate of one in every 100 women. Interestingly, most of the victims – 36 per cent – told CLEEN Foundation they were raped near their homes. Another 19 per cent said they were attacked “at their homes” while 13 per cent said they were attacked in schools or workplace. When respondents were further asked to rate the prevalence of rape, “10 per cent believed it was very widespread, 33 per cent said it happened occasionally, 48 per cent believe it was non-existent while nine per cent said they do not know.’’

    Apart from the trauma and injuries sustained in the process, experts say it is a gross violation of the fundamental human and natural rights of the victims. While the stigma is enormous, the trauma suffered by the victims cannot be restituted. The Nation gathered that the punishment for rape, as spelt out in Section 358 of the Criminal Code, is life imprisonment, while an attempt to commit rape attracts 14 years imprisonment. In spite of the stringent penalty for rape, it still thrives because of bottlenecks of legal technicalities, and unwillingness of victims to pursue their cases to logical conclusions. Speaking to The Nation on the current waves of defiling minors in the recent time, Modupe Araoye, a legal practitioner at Falana & Falana’s chamber, said the situation is not only worrisome but  a national calamity.

    Araoye, who said the major cause of minor sexual assault in the society is poverty, noted that most of those that are affected may either be a house help or those leaving in a face-me-I-face-you apartment. She regretted that the situation is so rampant in the recent time to the extent that the chamber is handling about two cases of sexual assaults on a nine and six year old girls respectively.

    “Why would a parent send her daughter of six or nine years old child from  the East to Lagos  to go and work as house help and  you still get money over such a  child? A child that is supposed to be in the school, it is a pathetic situation l cannot comprehend it,” she explained.

    She equally blamed the rampancy of minors on the fact that it has always been difficult to prove a case of a rape beyond reasonable doubt in the court. This is because, most times, the defendants always insist on an eye-witness account, which is very difficult. “In most cases, the accused are always set free by the court for lack of evidence.” The lawyer also argued that such men who find themselves in such a situation should be sent to a psychiatric home for evaluation because she could not see what could attract a man in a 3 to 6 years’ old girl.

    But a clinical psychologist, Dr. Wale Folarin, sees the issue of  rape, particularly of minors, as a psychology trauma that needs to be treated as such. Folarin pointed out that the inability of a rapist to control or channel his libidinal energy towards a productive use often leads him to rape minors without thinking of the consequences. According to him, there are three levels of personality traits, the ID, the Ego and the Super Ego. “Rapists are not able to control their ID due to their high libidinal traits and they need immediate satisfaction no matter the consequences. This, in most cases, leads them to committee rape with impunity”

    The clinical psychologist said that early maturity cell in most girls this days is very high to the extent that a girl of 11 years old has developed an  adult traits, which made them a target of a would-be rapist. He emphasised that rapists need psychological therapy in order to bail them out of the emotional bondage they find themselves, just as he canvassed for a holistic approach that would involved all in order to reduce the menace of rape of minors.

    A celebrated actress who was a victim of rape, Mrs Foluke Daramola, said poverty played a significant role in the raping of minors or a father raping her daughter.

    “The issue of raping minors is so alarming these days that one could reduce it to the issue of poverty. In a situation where a family are squeezed in a room apartment that consists of a father, mother and grown up female children, anything can happen in the night.”

    Mrs Daramola, who  has floated a  Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Passion Against Rape in Africa, to address such an  issue, lamented that if care is not taking a girl who experienced rape may not get out of such trauma in her life time. “I am a case study. l have to go through a lot of psychological therapy before l could get out of the trauma l faced. In fact, it contributed to the collapsed of my first marriage because l was not emotionally stable,” she told The Nation. She therefore advised that mothers have to be more vigilant about their female children, and knowing them intently. If this is done, she believes that female children will be free to discuss any issue any time they run into any crisis, thereby having somebody to confer in.

    But, Rev. Elijah Ashafa, the pastor of Christ Kingdom Baptist Church, Magboro, Ogun state, said only the intervention of God can curb the incessant raping of minors in the society. Ashafa, while speaking with The Nation, noted that there should be ways to minister the gospel of Christ to rapists, even as the law takes its course on them, so they can come out refined and re-orientated. “Putting them behind bars does not solve the problem alone because the spirit is still there and must be addressed with spiritual effort to change the person. We have seen cases of even a professor dating a fourteen years’ old girl, with all the knowledge he has acquired and this is because something is still missing in his life that is Christ, It is not a matter of going to church, genuine encounter with Christ is what matters, then every other thing will follow,” he noted

    Could it be that the society is tilting towards the biblical Sodom and Gomorra where morality has been thrown to the dust bin? Against this backdrop, Mr. Friday Okonofua, an obstetrician and gynecologist, said  political commitment is needed to reduce the high incidence of rape. Okonofua, who is a programme officer for Ford Foundation (West Africa), said: “The rising incidence of sexual abuse of minors in the country is evidence that our policies and laws are not working. In other countries, when such happens, the perpetrators will be sent to life imprisonment or punished. But in Nigeria, we have some laws and policies that are not being implemented. There are penalties for people who commit such offences, but people are afraid to come out because they feel that nothing will be done.”

    He urged the law enforcement agents and the judiciary to live up to their responsibilities and quicken the dispensation of justice.

    Araoye recommended that rapists should be sent to life imprisonment. For Mrs Daramola, death sentence is good for rapists for making their victims permanently losing their emotional bearing.

  • Man, 30, held for rape

    Man, 30, held for rape

    A 30-year old man has allegedly raped a 20-year old girl in Lagos and uploaded her pictures on the internet.

    The suspect, Olaniyan Oluwakayode, allegedly raped the girl in his apartment at Ifako, Agege, Lagos.

    He was arrested by the police and brought to the Lagos State Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, WAPA, in handcuffs.

    The victim, who hails from Akwa Ibom State denied that the suspect is her lover, she said after the incident, Oluwakayode snapped her pictures despite pleas from his sister not to.

    She said: “He stops me anytime I am going to work. He approached me and I told him I was not ready to give him a reply. I did not go to his house. On my way back from work last Tuesday, I saw him running out of his house. The next thing I saw was him jumping down from a fence, held my hand and said he wants to do what’s on his mind.

    “So I asked him why would he do what’s on his mind when I have not even accepted his advances, he said he would do what is on his mind today; so he dragged me into a nearby bush. When I wanted to shout, he brought out a knife and threatened to kill me if I do.

    “So from the bush, he dragged me to his house and locked the door. I tried all I could to open it but I couldn’t because the door is an iron door and very strong. He used his legs to hold my neck, he tore my skirt, my pant and my bra. He beat me very well on my head, neck and body and removed my pant and he slept with me. After he finished sleeping with me, I couldn’t shout again because he was beating me and forcing me to open my legs. When I refused, he also held my neck so I couldn’t shout”.

    The victim said when Oluwakayode’s sister came back around 9p.m., she asked her brother to open the door, demanding to know if he wanted to kill her.

    The victim said when Oluwakayode heard his sister shouting, he took her to the second room and still slept with her after which she urinated on the floor.

    “His sister then came through the second window and pleaded with him to let me go, telling him that if she was the person that was being treated like that, would he be happy about it?  I started crying. I am 20 years old and I work as an Office Assistant and I learnt Fashion Designing.

    “He has been asking me out for a long time. I was never his girlfriend, I have my own boyfriend. He raped me in pains, even his sister was crying and he snapped me immediately. His sister threatened that she would report him to their mother but he ignored her”.

    But, Oluwakayode denied raping her, saying she is his girlfriend.

    According to him, he saw her passing by in June and he approached her for her phone number, which she obliged.

    “I was fighting with my girlfriend but was accused of raping her. I snapped her picture when she was naked. We were fighting inside when I did it.  Any other allegation is a big lie. The only thing I did which I did not deny is that I snapped her picture naked.

    “We were fighting inside because she has been hurting me for a long time. We had an issue which made me delete her number. Last week, she flashed me. When I saw the strange number, I called the number back immediately. When I heard her voice, I asked her what she wanted.

    “Immediately, I called her she told me she was on her way back from work and we met. She even came to my house and we sat outside and talked. She agreed to date me. There was a day we spoke on phone and she was asking me if I had an apartment, I told her that I didn’t want to rush into anything, that I wanted to settle down in my business. I do branding in my house at Ifako.

    “They said I raped her, but one thing is that I have a conscience and she also has a conscience and let our conscience judge. The truth is that I never denied beating her, I did beat her with my head on her face and on her back when she held my manhood; so all the allegation of bringing out a powder, a knife and belt are lies”.

    Director of Child Development, WAPA, Mrs. Alaba Fadairo said the case would be charged to court.

    “From here, we are going to the court because it is an infringement on someone’s right. But it is not immediate because all the necessary tests have to be done, like the evidence, medical report and all. The most important thing is to ensure she has not been infected with HIV. The hospital should be able to prove to us to back up her claims

    “You do not have to force a person to have your way. It has to be mutual consent. The most barbaric aspect is that it was done and it was aired. Where is the dignity of the woman? It shows the person is callous and wicked and I think we should allow the law to take its course so that the girl could feel justice has been served,” she said.

    Mrs Fadairo said the case would not be swept under the carpet except the victim opts out.

    “That’s why I am going to follow it up to the letter and see that the matter is handled. There is no going back.

    “It’s a dent on the victim and it’s not about rape, it’s about putting her pictures on social media. I don’t think anyone will want to opt out. You also know the government has zero tolerance for issues of child abuse except we are not in the know. He is likely to face imprisonment, but the number of years is at the discretion of the court.”

  • Rape victim family accuses police of cover-up

    Rape victim family accuses police of cover-up

    The family of a 12-year old rape victim is accusing the police of trying to sweep the case under the carpet.

    The maid was allegedly raped by Kingsley Anyanwu, 33, the brother of her master, at their Mazamaza Lagos home about three months ago.

    The maid was hired by Anyanwu’s elder sister, who is a banker to take care of their aged mother.

    She fled from home to a church in the neighbour after the incident.

    Investigations started at Satellite Police Station before the case was transferred  to the Human Trafficking Section of the  State Criminal Investigations Department (SCID) at Panti, Yaba, Lagos Mainland, following a petition by NOPRIN, a network of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to the Commissioner of Police.

    The family is alleging that the police are not sincere in their investigation despite a medical report showing that the maid was sexually assaulted.

    The suspect’s sister, the family claimed, may have bought the police over to get her brother off the hook.

    The maid was initially examined at a Health Centre at Adeniji Jones, Ikeja, where it was confirmed that she was defiled. She was referred for expert management.

    Despite the report being sent to the Police by MIRABEL Centre, investigations appear to be stalled as nothing has been heard from the police.

    MIRABEL facilitated the maid’s second examination at Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) where it was reconfirmed that she was raped.

    National Coordinator of NOPRIN Okechukwu Nwanguma, said the last the NGO heard about the case from the Investigating Police Officer  (IPO) was that investigators went to the suspect’s residence and interviewed his mother.

    The woman was said to have heard the girl was screaming while she was allegedly being raped.

    The maid’s aunt said the police took photographs of the scene which she paid for. Copies of the photographs were also given to the police. The police promised to invite her and the suspect’s family for ‘settlement’, but she is yet to hear from them.

    The family is appealing to the Commissioner of Police, Mr Kayode Aderanti, for justice.

  • Rape scandal rocks ‘operation burst’ in Eruwa

    Rape scandal rocks ‘operation burst’ in Eruwa

    The alleged rape of an ND 2 student of Mass Communication, The Ibarapa Polytechnic, Eruwa, Oyo State by a member of the state special security squad ‘Operation Burst’ has thrown the outfit into a crisis of confidence and drawn the ire of the victim’s family and the general public. IBRAHIM ADAM reports.

    A rape scandal is currently rocking the Oyo State joint security patrol team, ‘Operation Burst’ as a member of the outfit has been accused of forcefully having canal knowledge of a female student of The Ibarapa Polytechnic, Eruwa.

    Omolara (surname withheld) an ND 2 Mass Communication student of the institution had alleged that a soldier attached to operation burst, Ignatius (surname withheld), armed with a knife, had forced her into having sex with him penultimate Friday,

    But the management of the security outfit have denied this and instead treating the alleged rape as mere assault on the part of Ignatius. And this has expectedly drawn the ire of Omolara’s family which through their lawyer Barrister Ola Adeosun has called for a proper investigation into the matter and stiffer punishment for the culprit and rehabilitation for the victim.

    Giving the fact of the matter the family lawyer said: “Precisely at about 10.30pm on Friday, 29th day of August, 2014, while returning to her apartment around the Oke Ola area, of Eruwa, The Victim, who is Our Client and an ND 2 Student of the Department of Mass Communication of Ibarapa Polytechnic, Eruwa was “arrested” by a soldier attached to the Oyo State, special Security outfit “OPERATION BURST”, on the allegation that she was a cultist.

    “The victim explained to the soldier that she only escorted her friend who came to visit her, and they both discussed into the later part of the day, and that she was not a cultist as alleged by the soldier. Not satisfied, the soldier took The Victim to the Ibarapa Zonal office of “OPERATION BURST” situate after Secretariat, Eruwa.

    “On entering the premises of the “OPERATION BURST”, The Victim saw other soldiers and security agents torturing some students of the Ibarapa Polytechnic within the premises.

    “The soldier almost immediately dragged The Victim to the shed under a tree at the premises of the “OPERATION BURST”, removed a two edged knife and ordered our client to remove all her clothes, as he wanted to see all the “occultic tattoos” on the body of the victim. The victim pleaded with the soldier, and informed him that she was not a cultist as alleged, and that she only escorted a friend who visited her. When the threat by the soldier became vicious, as he had started beating and strangulating the victim, the victim removed all her clothes, including her  underwear on the orders of the soldier. The soldier thereafter ordered the victim to lie down under the tree as she was already stark naked and was crying profusely.

    “All The Victim’s plea to the soldier only earned her threats and beatings from the soldier, as the soldier informed her that if she fails to “Cooperate”, she would be killed and buried like many other girls who had failed to cooperate in the past  and nobody would trace her death to him. At this point the soldier had drawn out his knife again and promised to slaughter The Victim “like a ram”.

    “At this point, The Victim was left with no option, but to stop struggling with the soldier who pounced on her and forcefully had sex with her between the hours of around 10.30pm on Friday, 29th August, 2014 and 3am on Saturday, 30th August, 2014.

    “As a confirmation of the fact that it had become a routine ritual amongst the Soldiers and officers of the “OPERATION BURST” Ibarapa office, while the soldier was forcefully having sexual intercourse with The Victim and The Victim Client was shouting and crying for help, the other soldiers and security agents were only walking past and acting as if what was happening was normal!

    “Sometime at around 3am or thereabout, the randy soldier informed The Victim that he needed to take some rest, and that The Victim was a “good girl”, hence, he wanted to go into one of the offices around the premises of “OPERATION BURST” to get a better cloth for The Victim to wear, since he had damaged her clothes in the course of events leading to rape.

    “The Victim promptly seized the opportunity of the temporary exit of the randy soldier to escape from the venue of the crime and ran to her house while still weeping and already psychologically dismembered.

    “In the morning of Saturday, 30th August, 2014, The Victim called her parents on the telephone to tell them of the attack on her, and her parents in turn called to brief Our Office. We thereafter advised that The Victim should report to the Police Station at Eruwa, which she promptly did.

    “The Police at Eruwa contacted the Police hierarchy in the state, who in turn contacted the military authorities since the culprit was a soldier. The Victim was thereafter taken to “OPERATION BURST” office wherein and identification parade was carried out and she identified the randy soldier amongst the others.

    “At this point, the soldier admitted raping the victim and was only begging for forgiveness, as he attributed his conduct to “the Satan”!

    “Thereafter, the victim was taken by the men of the Nigerian Police Force to Eruwa General Hospital, for appropriate tests to be carried out on her.

    “Unfortunately however, on getting to the General Hospital, The Victim who had been traumatized was informed by the staff on duty that the Hospital does not have hand gloves, with which the doctor was to conduct tests on her, hence, The Victim was instructed to go and buy hand gloves before anything can be done, an instruction she had no option but to comply with!

    “A doctor at the General Hospital, Dr. Jesim Gambo in conducting the test only instructed The Victim to lie down, and thereafter used his GSM phone’s torchlight to look into her virginal and thereafter wrote his report. In his report, the Doctor stated that although he did not see semen/sperm therein, The Victim’s virginal had been tampered with, he further stated that the test was inconclusive. On being probed on the reasons why the doctor did not check inside the virginal for semen, we were embarrassed when the doctor informed Our Client that the hospital does not have the facilities to carry out such “an elementary” test!

    “We were shocked to hear from relatives of The Victim, who on enquiries were informed by some Army officers that the randy soldier had been made to substitute his earlier statement where he admitted the crime with another statement wherein, he only admitted assaulting The Victim since the medical report does not reveal that there was semen on The Victim’s body! This is despite assurances from both the Police and representatives of the Nigerian Army that the security agencies will ensure that The Victim gets justice.

    “In Our view, this is a tacit approval of crimes and criminal conducts by security agents by their direct employers, and same is a dangerous trend which every well meaning human being must join us to condemn as everyone of us may be exposed to danger in the event that same is allowed to stand.

    “It is noteworthy to state that since this incident, The Victim had abnormally taken to alcohol as a means of trying to forget the incident. Worst still, precisely on Wednesday, 3rd September, 2014, out of frustration, The Victim made an attempt to poison herself, as she feels the agony and stigma attached to being a victim of rape is just too much for her to bear, especially stemming from the information she just received that as a face saving measure by the Nigerian Army, the accused soldier, who had earlier confessed to the crime of rape has been made to change his statement by the Army authorities, and has now only agreed to the fact that he assaulted The Victim, and based on the soldier’s new statement, he is to be prosecuted for “ASSAULT” and not “RAPE”!, but for the alertness of a relative who saw her while opening the bottle of the poisonous substance.”

    But the security outfit has dismissed the allegation of rape as baseless, even though it is taking disciplinary action against Ignatius for abandoning his duty post.

    In a statement by the outfit’s second in command CSP Elijah Bawa, Operation Burst said immediately the it was intimated with the allegation of rape against the said student, it dispatched an investigation team to Eruwa.

    Bawa said the team met with the Divisional Police Officer for the Eruwa Division, DSP Kayode Adigun who disclosed that the 23-year old Mass Communication student of the school lodged a complaint with the command that she had been raped by the soldier who was also an operative of the anti-crime outfit.The DPO took the lady complainant to the Eruwa General Hospital for medical examination, the result of which proved negative.

    When interrogated about the process of the rape, Operation Burst said , the allegedly raped lady said she had left her hostel and was seeing her friend off at about 2230 hrs and when she was returning, she was accosted by the Operation Burst operative who accused her of being a cultist.

    According to Bawa, the lady alleged that the soldier took her under a Dongoyaro tree where he asked her series of questions, ordered her to remove her clothes to affirm whether she had tattoos of cultists on her.

    “The test on the lady was conducted by a Dr. Jesimi Gamdu and all the physical manifestations of rape were not found on her. The soldier will however be charged for abandoning his duty post in the night without permission against standing instructions in the Operation Burst’s code of conduct,” he said.

    But in spite of the denial Omolara is insisting that Ignatius did rape her. Narrating her story she told The Nation that:  “It was 10pm when I saw my friend off and it was few distance to my house. Immediately I turned back, a man on bike stopped me and asked where I was coming from. I told him I only saw a friend off and he said it was late and I said am sorry. He later identified himself as a member of the Operation Burst and asked me to mount his bike to their base. I resisted but he threatened me with the knife in his hand and I followed him.

    “Getting to their base, we entered and I saw some students being beaten by some member of the Operation Burst. Immediately, he hit me outside and said he will beat me himself. He took me under a tree across the street and asked me to kneel and started asking me different questions like being a cultist. I told him I am not one and he started beating me, hitting me, slapping me and asked me the colour of the pant I was wearing and I told him it was white and he asked if I have a red pant and I said no. He asked me to pull off my cloth and I told him I won’t but he still threatened me with his knife which made me to comply. He checked my body if there was any tattoo but he found nothing. I was naked, cold and helpless and later on, he said if I don’t cooperate with him, he will kill me and throw my body away. And still, he kept slapping and hitting me.

    “At this point, I had no choice but to do what he wanted. He asked if I had a condom with me and if I have any disease because he does not have one with him as he normally have ‘flesh to flesh’ sex with his wife. At that point he had sex with me, he did it for several times; he did it and was full of joy. He asked me to wear my cloth and not to tell anyone. He then requested to have a relationship with me and I said ok. He later said he cannot take me home and I should sleep in their base and I said no that I have a class that day. He gave me a bottle of  beer to hold and said I should wait for him that he wanted to get me a cloth to wear because it was cold and that was about 3am. After waiting for about 20minutes after he had left, I ran home from that spot and gave a call to the Special Adviser to the association I belong which is ANUNSA, Eruwa in person of Ambassador Oludare Sunday Ogunlana who immediately asked me to inform the police,” she said.

    Omolara said after reporting at the Eruwa police station, she was asked to go for a medical test the Eruwa General Hospital.

    Doctor Jesini Gamdu who attended to the victim at the hospital told The Nation that he did not carry out a test but only examined her and his result was inconclusive.

    “I did not test her but I only examined her because pregnancy result stay about two weeks (two weeks after sex)  and running a pregnancy test for her case was not relevant. If it was a forceful rape, it would have been more okay because she had to consent because she was threatened, because they were alone and with the threat, she had no choice. So, there was an easy flow of sexual intercourse.

    “Two things I was trying to find out was one, for evidence of bruses and secondly, any semen deposit but they were not there. The result of my findings was inconclusive and I prescribed Postinure 2 to her to help her against pregnancy,’ he added.

    Omolara also told The Naton that when she got to Eruwa General Hospital, the doctor asked her to buy him hand glove before any test could be conducted saying ‘he only flashed a touch light in my private part and prescribed Postinure 2 for me to use’.

    On hearing the incident, the head of the Operation Burst in Eruwa community, summoned an emergency meeting of the squad and asked the victim to identify the culprit.

    The culprit, Ignicious at the point of identification did not deny meeting her saying “Yes, I interrogated her” and immediately, he was put in hand cuff and taken for interrogation.

    The Acting Deputy Rector of The Ibarapa Polytechnic, Eruwa, Evang. Dr. Abiola Jesulowo who spoke on behalf of the school management said the incident was unfortunate and called on the State government to carry out a thorough investigation on the case and to equip the hospitals in the community.

    “We thank God that from the report we have so far, the culprit did not deny her when she identified him. This people are those who are supposed to protect the members of the community and have now turned to something else, it is quite unfortunate. So, we believe the State will be able to handle it and justice will be done.

    “The case of the doctor instructing a rape patient to get hand glove for him has really shown the level of  healthcare service in  our hospital and we are really appealing to the government to equip and assist our hospitals with equipments and drugs because life is very precious,” he added.

    The president of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Com. Yinka Gbadebo in his reaction also condemned the culprit and demanded for justice for the victim.

    Omolara’s father lamenting the incident told The Nation that; “all I want is the Federal government and the State government to help me fight for justice.”

  • Man arraigned for ‘rape, fraud’

    A 28-year-OLD man, Sheun Olarenwaju, has been arraigned before an Ikeja Magistrate’s Court for alleged rape and obtaining a sum of N50,000 under false pretence.

    Olanrewaju was arraigned before the court presided over Mrs. M. Dan Oni on a three  count charge of rape, theft and obtaining money under false pretence.

    Police prosecutor, E. Okoli had alleged that the defendant on August 29 at Allen roundabout, Ikeja conspired to rape his victim, Abiodun Tanimowo.

    He said the defendant committed an offence punishable under section 263 (2) of the original law of Lagos state Nigeria 2011.

    Okoli further told the court that the defendant had under false pretence also obtained the sum of N50,000 from  Abiodun.

    The alleged offence is punishable under section 312(2), No 34 Vol.44 Laws of the Lagos State of Nigeria 2011.

    When the charges were read, the defendant pleaded not guilty to them.

    The magistrate granted him bail in the sum of N200,000 and two sureties in ike sum.

    She after adjourned till September 15 for trial.

  • The effects of rape on our society

    Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving having a carnal knowledge, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person’s consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or against a person who is incapable of valid consent, such as one who is unconscious, incapacitated, or below the legal age of consent. The term rape is, sometimes, used interchangeably with the term sexual assault.

    Internationally, the incidence of rape recorded by the police during 2008 varied between 0.1 in Egypt per 100,000 people and 91.6 per 100,000 people in Lesotho with 4.9 per 100,000 people in Lithuana as the median.

    According to the American Medical Association (1995), sexual violence, and rape in particular, is considered the most under reported violent crime. The rate of reporting, prosecution and convictions for rape varies considerably in different jurisdictions. The U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics (1999) estimated that 91percent of U.S. rape victims are female and nine per cent are male.

    Rape by strangers is usually less common than rape by persons the victim knows. Several studies argue that male-male and female-female prison rape are quite common and may be the least reported forms of rape.

    It is most terrifying to note that the frequency of rape incidents today all over the world has doubled or even tripled according to statistics. All over from India to South Africa, Syria and even to Nigeria, the incidences of rape are now so common and it could even be seen in public places.

    One begins to wonder how this generation has quickly lost its forms of moral and societal values despite the multiplicity of religious centres, schools and even breakthroughs recorded in technology and science.

    Rape against the female gender seems to be rampant today. There are reported cases of little children less than one year being raped as well as grandmothers of over 70, also being raped.

    Most petrifying is the fact that some of the rape victims have been killed by the rapists having been assaulted. Some victims have also killed themselves much later due to the pain and stigma associated with the act. It is indeed alarming how this level of wickedness has grown and expanded in our society.

    The advent of the social media has also not helped matters in this regard. On  July22, 2012, Cynthia Osokogwu, a post-graduate student of Nasarawa State University and a clothing retailer, was murdered in Lagos by friends she met on Facebook. The rapists lured her to a hotel in FESTAC Town, drugged and raped her before she was murdered.

    Also, the incident when five undergraduates believed to be students of Abia State University conspired and raped a young woman is as well detestable. Despite the pleadings of the young girl, the young men still took turns to satisfy their devilish lusts on her. The videos of that incident shook the nation as investigation was launched into the incident but nothing seems to have come out of it till date.

    In India, the Delhi gang rape and murder case that occurred on December 16, 2012 in Munrika, a neighbourhood located in the southern part of New Delhi, when a 23-year-old female physiotherapy intern was beaten and gang raped in a private bus in which she was travelling with a male friend. There were six others in the bus, including the driver, all of whom raped the woman. The woman died from her injuries 13 days later while undergoing emergency treatment in Singapore.

    The incident generated widespread national and international coverage and was widely condemned, both in India and abroad. Subsequently, public protests against the Government of India and the Government of Delhi for not providing adequate security for women took place in New Delhi, where thousands of protesters clashed with security forces. Similar protests took place in major cities throughout the country.

    These and a whole lot more sum up the level of decadence bedeviling our society. No one seems safe these days in the hands of rapists. It is up to all of us that make up the society to rise up and root out rape from our midst.

    As it is, everyone has a role to play in the eradication of this menace from our society. From homes to religious gatherings, schools to events, the gospel of anti-rape should be preached with all forms of seriousness and vehemence.

    Enough is enough of this monster that has developed into the biggest crime in our society. Stiffer laws should be created for offenders just like kidnappings and murder, because rape has helped to rob our society some of its best hands.

    From government quarters to private quarters, rape should be given a serious attention before we lose our female population to a group of persons who have lost all forms of dignity. The fight against rape should be total and there should be no sacred cows in the battle against it. All hands must be on deck to ensure that rape is finally expunged from our society.

    Everyone has a role to play in tackling this societal cancer. Lawmakers must create stiffer laws, the Judiciary must dispatch justice with speed to offenders and we all must also be our brothers’ keeper and also report any case of rape to the relevant authorities.

     

    Sam, graduating student of Curriculum and teaching, UNICAL

  • Man arrested for defiling 2 years old girl

    Ebonyi State Police Command Thursday said that it has arrested a 30 year old man, Mr. Ama Inya Okoro for allegedly defiling a 2 year old girl in Unwana in Afikpo North local Government Area of the state.

    Spokesman of the command, ASP Chris Anyanwu stated this in Abakaliki.

    He expressed dismay at the increasing level of rape cases in the state.

    Anyanwu said the suspect committed the crime when the victim was asleep adding that he will soon be charged to court.

    Mr. Anyanwu urged parents to take adequate care of their children.

    The Police command also said Thursday that another kidnap suspect, a 27 year old teacher, one Kingsley Sunday who was arrested by the command for allegedly kidnapping two of his pupils, one Kolakpo Kosoko and the sister Tolu, have been transfered to the Ogun state Police command for further investigation and prosecution.

    ASP Chris Anyanwu said that the two victims have been re-united with their family in Ogun State where they reside.

    He said, “We have concluded our own investigation on the kidnap of the two children by their teacher and this morning (Thursday), a team of police officers from our command had to escort the suspects to Ogun State for them to continue the investigation and prosecute the victims.

    “The victims have been re-united with their parents and they have also gone back to Ogun State where they reside.”

    “With the success recorded by our command and the confessional statement of the suspects, we are optimistic that the Ogun State Police Command would also do a further investigation into the matter and prosecute the suspects.”

    ASP Chris Anyanwu said that the teacher who is a staff of Imperial International School Ijebu-Ode in Ogun state was arrested in his home town, Obieze, Effuim in Ohaukwu Local Government Area of Ebonyi state following a tip off.

  • Rape…A Fine Arts teacher’s road to Warri Prisons

    Rape…A Fine Arts teacher’s road to Warri Prisons

    Six years after he committed the crime, a teacher at the Delta Career College, Warri  is sentenced by an Effurun High Court to 14 years’ jail term for a minor’s rape, reports SHOLA O’NEIL 

    On Tuesday September 23, 2008, Grace Ese (not her complete names), a single mother, kissed her daughter goodbye as she left home for Delta Career College, Warri, Delta State, one of the pioneer private schools in the Southsouth. The school has a reputation built over three decades as a trailblazer in its field. The founder and principal of the school, a seasoned educationist, Mr Emmanuel Ukeredi, takes pride in the school, whose motto is “Purposeful Education is only the best”.

    It was because of that status that Ms Ese sent her daughter to the school. The child is a bright and promising girl. Her steady progress in her education made her mother hopeful that by the time she clocks 15, she would graduate and probably go on to become one of Nigeria’s youngest doctorate degree holder.

    It was a dream mother and daughter shared. Having being forced to abandon her own pursuit of higher education when she got pregnant with the child, Ms Ese was hoping to achieve, through her daughter, her quest for higher education and a better future.

    She confided in our reporter that she conceived the child after her man she thought was her ‘Christian brother’ took advantage of her and then abandoned her when she got pregnant.

    She said: “I was doing my higher education when I got pregnant and I had to stop school because of her. I couldn’t take care of myself, the pregnancy and then the child. I had to stop because the father did not support me. When I went to my family, they did not support me because they felt the child’s father should help me. I sold akara (bean cake) to cater for her and I begged on the streets to sustain my child.”

    Ten years after her own ordeal – on September 23, 2008 – Ms Ese was forced to relive the horror all over again when a 35-year-old school teacher at the famous college, Mr Godwin Onoyiwai was accused of raping the child she loves and sacrifices so much for. Onoyiwai is a Fine Arts teacher of the school; he was employed to teach young children like the nine-year-old victim to appreciate and recreate the beauty of nature and everything around them.  Instead he reportedly etched lines of pain, trauma and stigma that might have scarred the child and her mother for the rest of their lives.

    Reconstructing the event that took place in the school’s premises six years ago, Ms Ese said the teacher lured her daughter into his office in a secluded part of the expansive school premises located on Airport Road in the Oil City and repeatedly violated her child until got released from his satanic urge.

    “He locked the door, asked her to open her legs. He said he wanted to show her something (in between her legs). She (the child) said, ‘no, tell me; when I get home I will look at it.’ He said ‘No’.

    “Then he forced her, pulled her dress, her boxers – because being a girl I ensure she wears boxers in case she opens her legs – her pant. He put her on the floor and when she was screaming he held her mouth. She was telling him, ‘My mummy said nobody should play this kind of play with me o. If my mummy finds out she will beat me oo’.

    “He said, ‘No, your mummy will not find out’.  He forced himself on her, continuously until he released.

    “After he raped her, she was bleeding and there was blood on the floor. When he saw that she was bleeding, he asked her to put on her pant, clothes and gave her bucket to go and get water. He gave her mop (stick) and asked her to mop the floor and put the blood into the bucket. That she did. Her pant was already stained; she was wearing it like that. She went to another student, a boarding student, who gave her peg and soap to wash her pant and hang it to dry in the school,” her eyes filled with tears as she replayed the scene from her daughter’s account. The report of the indecent act shocked the city, not even the medical staff who examined the child could hold back the jolt. One of the two doctors, who examined the child at the Warri General Hospital, described the rapist as “a very wicked and heartless person.”

    However, Mr Ukeredi and other members of staff of Delta Career College took the allegation with a pinch of salt and even strongly debunked it. Shortly after The Nation broke the news on September 29, 2008, the management of the school accused the mother of blackmail and attempt to extort money from the school. It was gathered that the authority of the college stormed the “A” Division Police Station, where the suspect was being held, claiming the he was a victim of the child’s mothers ploy to extort money from the school. The school’s proprietor stood by his employee, insisting that he is innocent. Police detective handling the investigation were also tainted by the brush of scandal. First, sources close to the suspect claimed that the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) and some policemen at the station demanded for gratification to “kill” the case.

    Similarly, the child’s mother told our reporter that a Commissioner of Police in the state was forced to transfer one of the investigating officers after he demanded N5,000 from her to facilitate the movement of the file to the state headquarters in Asaba.

    Independent investigations by Niger Delta Report revealed that prior to the unfortunate incident, the relationship between Ms Ese and the management of the private school had deteriorated. It was gathered that the latter was unhappy about what they perceived as the woman’s meddlesomeness.

    “The woman was always complaining about one thing or the other, especially with the running of the school. At a point, some of us were already saying that she should take her daughter away if she was not satisfied with the way the school was being run and that was when this matter started,” a staff of the college told this reporter on condition of anonymity.

    When Niger Delta Report asked Ms Ese about this dimension to the incident, she confirmed that she had been forced to demand better performance from some teachers and other staff of the school when she noticed perceived failing.

    “That is no reason why they should pay me back by raping my daughter,” she said.

    As the case dragged on, the relationship between the parent and school degenerated further. Ms Ese accused the school of throwing everything at her in a desperate bid to force her to give up on her quest for justice. She disclosed that the case file got missing twice at the Police Headquarters in Asaba and the Department of Public Prosecution (DPP’s) office.

    “There was a time I was so afraid that the power of the school would supersede me – their power, money and influence. The man told me to my face that he has kept N20m to fight me. Can I produce one per cent of that N20m?”

    In court, the teacher denied the charge against him. He said he went outside the gate to eat with his colleague, Edafe. He claimed they had invigilated the GCE exams and he was heading towards the boys’ hostel when he saw the girl in front of the boys’ hostel. She was in the midst of other students playing, he said.  He claimed they later saw her wandering around the boys’ hotel. He said they called her to ask what she was looking for around the boys’ hostel and she told them that she lost her bag.

    He said he was forced to confess committing the crime, adding that he told the DPO that he didn’t commit the crime. He said he spent 16 days at the police station and was kept in the cell.

    He accused the child’s mother of threatening to close the school if she was not paid N16 million.

    The judge did not believe him. The highly respected Justice P. O. Onajite-Kuejubola of the Effurun High Court mid last month ruled that the evidence before the court was overwhelming and proved the Fine Arts teacher was guilty of raping the nine-year old child. The teacher was senenced to 14 years in jail.

    Justice Onajite-Kuejubola said: “The defence put up by the accused is merely a shame defence; which is incapable of belief by any stretch of imagination in the face of cogent, credible evidence led by the PW1, the victim, supported by that of IPO, PW4, PW3, the medical doctor and PW2, the mother of the victim.

    “…The offence of rape, where the commission of the crime is proved beyond reasonable doubt, is no doubt a wicked, callous and dastardly act. Particularly in this case where a teacher like the accused person who is expected to be a guide, over a child like the victim herein, takes advantage of her. I want to condemn the act of the accused person very strongly and urge teachers whom parents look up to take care of their wards, who are sent to learn and by so doing repose some amount of confidence in such teachers, not to betray that trust and hope.

    “The entire circumstance of this case has been carefully considered in arriving at this decision so as to ensure that the innocent are not punished and the guilty set free. The accused is found guilty as charged.

    “The accused is hereby sentenced to 14 years imprisonment with hard labour.”

    Ms Ese, who said she was not totally satisfied with the sentence, praised the DPP and Justice Onajite-Kuejubola.  She was expecting a life sentence. She expressed the hope that it would serve as deterrent to randy school teachers who plan to take advantage of young pupil and student in their care.

     ‘We are shocked; we will appeal’

    The school’s principal, did not want to speak about the ruling when our reporter called him. He said an official statement would be issued by the school. At the time of this report, the official statement he promised was yet to be released.

    He, however, gave a hint of the feeling of the management of the institution about the development. When he was informed that Ms Ese had made certain serious allegations that the school made attempts to sweep the matter under the carpet, Ukeredi said the allegations were unfounded, adding that the school’s statement would say its side of the story.

    An interesting part of the story, however, is the fact that the school still maintains its stance on Onoyiwai’s innocence. According to the principal, the judgment shocked the school and the management had instructed its counsel to file an appeal.

    “We have instructed our lawyers to appeal. You can have interview with her (mother of the victim). Whatever porous allegations she made notwithstanding, I’m telling you that we were dumbfounded by the judgment and we have given instructions to our lawyers to appeal. If you see our press release, you will see the school’s own part of the story,” Ukeredi said.

    The last certainly has not been heard of this matter.

     

  • Sexual violence, rape and HIV: Matters arising

    Sexual violence, rape and HIV: Matters arising

    Way Forward

    The aggressive social marketing that drug manufacturers have come to be known by  seems to give people the impression that HIV is  just another parasite like the one associated with Malaria. It is time we took a second look at the strategies being  currently applied in the  fight against the virus. HIV test kits are everywhere in patent medicine stores, some genuine, many others fake, and so are many different fake anti-retroviral drugs. Young people, and criminals who rape women of all ages, don’t have the mind and time to negotiate for safer sex, but instead carry these drugs with them.

    There is an urgent need to reactivate all relevant infrastructures set up to counter the spread of HIV/ AIDS. Apathy on the part of government, perhaps as a result of global economic recession, which has caused  marked reduction in funds from donor countries and Non governmental organizations (NGOS) has reduced the frequency, quantity and quality of anti HIV/AIDS campaign. Governments at all levels have been doing what they can, but can do more by injecting more funds into the moribund programs, evaluating existing ones and formulating new policies where necessary.

    Governments can also discourage the  mass distribution of condoms as a way of encouraging safer sex.  The idea was intuitively seminal at the beginning, but we now know that the  unintended negative consequences outweigh  the short term benefits . At one  occasion where youths  from different background congregated, a young lady  not experienced in such matters actually had sex with a total stranger and later  confided in her friend that she actually lured the young man because she was fascinated by the packet and wanted to have an experience. Unfortunately the experienced male drew off the barrier at the peak of  it all and  infected her with the virus. He has since disappeared from her life .

    Nothing seems to be working any where in the country, but as we grapple with problems, we can find ways  if the will is there. Special courts can be set up just for sex related crimes ,with the removal of injunctions. That way, habitual  or serial sex offenders can be promptly kept away so they can’t prey upon the innocent. Instead of blaming the victim, the police will then have the opportunity of understanding the far reaching consequences of rape.

    While in prison, mental rehabilitation should be a major element of the  behavior change programs.

    The social media is an avenue currently under utilized in bringing awareness of the bidirectional  health risks associated with rape. It is time we began to  warn  restless  souls that  HIV is real. It is  very much around and spreading. So that people, particularly those  battling with prevention fatigue  will understand that a single blind moment of sexual gratification can bring  a life time of sadness, for the victim and the perpetrator

    Churches need to also do better than what you find in those places of worship where what matters is the crowd regardless of their  patterns of behavior. For those without dress codes, even pastors can be seen struggling to keep their eyes away from the exposed  body regions

    Family members  should be careful who comes near, cuddles our kids or plants kisses on them. Age appropriate dress codes should be the norms in the house. Children should also be given age appropriate sex education and trained to report any  unusual exploration of  certain parts of the body to Mom and Dad

    It is important to stress that in resource limited countries with  little or no knowledge  about forensic investigations, prevention is safer, and cheaper than cure. Victims of rape should immediately see a qualified medical Doctor ,who will outline what actions, general and specific will need to be taken. People often go to Hospitals days  to weeks after, by which time, you can only do little  because  seeding of infective microorganisms will have begun.  For a sexually active victim who does not know his or her  HIV status, a positive test done  less than a week after the incident may not mean the virus was contracted from the assailant. The same goes for Hepatitis B,  or Syphilis, both have long incubation periods

    A pregnancy test using urine or blood sample is mandatory . The family  Doctor may recommend emergency contraception if victim is a woman in the  reproductive age group, to avoid an unwanted pregnancy ,but also given birth to an unwanted HIV positive baby whose status may not be known until he is over a year old

  • Customs officers arrested for raping Facebook friend

    Two officers of the Nigerian Customs Service, Seme Border Command have been arrested for allegedly raping a 23-year-old lady.

    The suspects identified as Felola Uzezi and Mohammed Sanni, have already been transferred to the State Criminal Investigations Department (SCID), Panti, for further interrogation.

    The victim told policemen from Area K Police Command that she met one of the customs officers on Facebook and visited him after an invitation. The visit however turned nasty as her Facebook friend and his colleague allegedly raped her.

    It was gathered that the men were picked and quizzed by operatives from Area K Command from where they were transferred to SCID.

    The two men, attached to Gbaji Custom’s checkpoint were alleged to have raped the lady  at Limca Bus Stop area, along Badagry Expressway, home of Felola Uzezi.

    “I met Uzezi on Facebook and became friends with him. After a while, he invited me to his house. Uzezi invited Sanni over to his place when I came to visit him.

    “Uzezi asked me for sex, but I told him that I was menstruating. When his friend Sanni came, they raped me, ” the victim explained.

    The victim later reported  the rape to the police and both suspects were picked.

    Police who visited the scene of the crime, allegedly found blood stains on Uzezi’s bed and a boxer he gave the victim to wipe herself after the act.

    The National Public Relations Officers of the Nigerian Customs Service, Mr. Wale Adeniyi when contacted said he was  aware of the case but details according to him are still sketchy.

    “The Seme Command Comptroller has been notified and he is working with the police for a thorough investigation. We will await a formal report from the police to enable the Comptroller-General take appropriate action. While we await this, we must state that the Service frowns at such heinous crime and perpetrators if found guilty, will be dealt with.”

    Command spokesperson, Ngozi Braide, a Deputy Superintendent (DSP), confirmed the arrest but said that they did not meet on Facebook. She explained that they met at a location in the area.

    Braide said the matter would be transferred to the SCID and that investigation in ongoing to establish what really happened.