By Lillian Okenwa
The impact of sexual abuse on victims, particularly young people’s psychological and physical health is hugely devastating. This is particularly given that the formative period is when they should be developing and refining positive intimacy skills in close relationships.
Also, there’s no gainsaying that abuse which occurs over time is more harmful. Sadly, this is the case for many abused minors, because the child is living with the fear and worry about being abused instead of being able to put the experience behind them. Again, when children believe that it is their fault, that they are ruined, or that no one can be trusted, they are more likely to be seriously affected.
Outraged by the innocence-snatching scourge, Ogechi Abu, a past Vice Chairperson of the Nigerian Bar Association Abuja Branch (Unity Bar) said: “The surge in underage rape is nothing short of an abomination and glaring evidence of moral/social depravity and legal inefficiency in the country.”
Thankfully the courts in Nigeria have risen to the occasion. Unlike in the past when rapists get a few years jail sentence, judges now hand down severe sentences to sexual offenders. But, Nigeria’s Minister of Women Affairs, Pauline Tallen, maintains that capital punishment is the only deterrent for perpetrators of rape. Tallen in a forum at Abuja said only capital punishment and other forms of punishment commensurate with the inhuman crime of rape would act as a deterrent to rape.
Some days ago, an Ekiti State High Court, in Ado Ekiti sentenced two persons to life imprisonment for the offence of rape. The defendants, Salau Adams (21) and Odeleye Tobi (21) were arraigned before Justice Olalekan Olatawura on 13th May, 2022 for raping a 14-year-old minor.
The victim said in her statement to the Police said, I know Adams and Tobi in the street. On that day, I was hawking fried meat. They called me and bought meat worth N100 each. They pretended to bring out money but instead, Adams brought out a black handkerchief. I decided to leave and report them to my mother. When I turned, Tobi held and carried me from the back while Adams covered my mouth with the black handkerchief. I was carried to a nearby bush behind their house. Adams first forcefully had sex with me and Tobi also did the same. Thereafter, they ran away. I went back home crying, with blood stains on my cloth. I narrated what happened to my mother. Other neighbours followed my mother to their house but they were not at home. The matter was reported at the Police station and they were later arrested. I was still a virgin when they raped me, she concluded.
Although the defendants who spoke through their counsel, O.G. Abiola pleaded with the court to tamper justice with mercy, claiming that they are young and can still be useful to society, Justice Olalekan Olatawura in his verdict held that the crime of rape and defilement of children in the jurisdiction is fast assuming a frightening dimension.
“It is the duty of the court to send the right signal to would-be rapists. The only way to discourage this dastardly and bestial act would be, to punish those found guilty severely. I, therefore, hold that the prosecution has proved beyond reasonable doubt that the defendants had sexual intercourse with the victim and was not consensual. From the proven facts, it can be inferred and I so do that the defendants conspired to commit the offence of rape. Consequently, the two defendants are hereby sentenced to life imprisonment.”
Last month Justice Abiola Soladoye of an Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court, convicted and sentenced a 27-year-old electrician, Olamide Ayodele, to life imprisonment for defiling the eight-year-old daughter of his benefactor.
Justice Soladoye held that the court found the evidence of the prosecution witnesses believable and consistent. “The defendant is immoral, a mega liar, ungrateful, unkind, ruthless and rash in his conduct considering the survivor’s father picked him from the streets and treated him like one of his children.
“The court particularly noted that the attempts of the defence to pin the offence on the survivor’s brother were unsuccessful. The attempt of the defence to also mislead the court by stating that the evidence of the survivor’s brother was expunged when in fact it was not. This was a complete misrepresentation of the records of the court.
“Lastly, the evidence of the defendant was wrought with lies and unreliable as he desperately sought to distance himself from the alleged offence.”
Last year Her lordship sentenced Alfa Abdulsalam Salaudeen to life imprisonment and ordered his name to be registered in the Sex Offenders Register. Prior to his conviction, the 43-year-old Islamic cleric was arrested in Igando, Lagos State, for raping his five-year-old Arabic schoolgirl.
Initially, he denied the allegation but owned up to the crime when confronted with video evidence of him defiling the child by penetrating her anus and private parts. Meanwhile, Salaudeen, who is married with five children and well-respected in the community, blamed the crime on the handiwork of his enemies who he said had cast a spell on him.
Likewise, Justice Soladoye convicted and sentenced a technician, Efe Akioya to life imprisonment for defiling his neighbour’s five-year-old girl in his room at Meiran Road, Opposite Omoroga Market, Lagos.
