Ravaged women, red carpet for bandits and terrorists

By Lillian Okenwa

“The truth of it is, the shame was not mine, and for all victims in similar situations, it is not ours. The shame is reserved for every creep who has ever touched us inappropriately. The shame is on the abuser, not the victim, not the survivor. It is tragic that so many of us have to survive this kind of crap, and I’m so sorry if it has happened to you.” American Actress and activist, Rose McGowan could not have said it better in her memoir “Brave.”

But when the abuser is given a red carpet and the victim left in the lurch, it leaves the head spinning. That is the story of many Nigerian women violently raped, and carried away by terrorists as spoils of war while the federal government mulls over amnesty for their violators. With rape epidemic placing Nigeria as 10th on the list of most dangerous countries for women according to the 2018 Thomas Reuters Foundation Annual Pool, terrorism and banditry in parts of Northern Nigeria has upped the figures. It happens every few minutes. Bandits stroll into towns and villages, and have a ball. What could have happened to the military and other security operatives? What about intelligence gathering? Have they been compromised? Well…

Displaced women in Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State have related dreadful tales of gang rapes by bandits. Hundreds of women and children have been displaced in the last few weeks by armed men following vicious attacks on several villages in the local government.

“They are gang raping us, and if any woman or lady dares to reject their sexual advances, she would be shot dead instantly. Several women were killed for not accepting their sexual demands. “A woman was pulled out of her matrimonial home by the armed criminals. They had wanted to rape her but when she refused to go with them, they began to drag her until when one of them shot her dead despite her husband’s plea,” a displaced woman identified as Hajara told Daily Trust.

Another resident identified as Mustapha also gave a chilling narative of how his granddaughter was shot dead for not submitting herself for a gang rape in a community called Bakin Manya. “When they shot her dead, they lurked around the community and attacked those who went to the cemetery to bury her. The funeral rite wasn’t held there. Her remains were taken to Tsafe for burial,” Mustapha said.

A woman named Amina told a reporter that her sister- in-law was hit with a gun butt after she refused to be raped by the armed criminals who struck their communities. “She was having her bath when one armed man forced his way into the room. He tried to rape her but she refused to allow him. A fight between her and the armed criminal ensued; he hit her with a gun and she had to crawl out of the room. The way these criminals are humiliating people is highly traumatising and we have no option other than to abandon our communities for our own safety. We have lost a lot to armed banditry and kidnapping over the years.”

Interestingly, the identity of the kingpin behind these attacks is not hidden. Adamu Aleiro, the notorious cattle rustler alleged to have championed most of the attacks in Tsafe and Faskari local government areas of Zamfara and Katsina state for instance is believed to have a firm grip on bandits traumatising communities in these states. In 2018 he reportedly sacked many communities in eastern Tsafe after security operatives seized about 500 cows he was suspected to have rustled from Kaduna and Niger states. The daring bandit allegedly promised to stop attacks, and cattle rustling after officials engaged him in a peace deal in 2019, but he has since resumed his odious activities.

While the federal government is fine-tuning its plans to pardon ‘repentant’ bandits, and terrorists, should the Terrorism Act not be amended with respect to sexual offences committed during war or terrorism activities? Should sexual offences committed in these instances not be properly defined as rape? The Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) (VAPP) Act 2015 pegs the minimum punishment for rape at 12 years imprisonment without fine. The maximum punishment is life imprisonment. Should persons found to have violated this law be considered for amnesty? What about justice for the victims and the society?

In an article titled: “Boko Haram: 11 Questions Trailing Amnesty for ‘Repentant’ Terrorists,”Soonest Nathaniel in his 1st September, 2021 write-up on Channels TV website,raised some posers.

Do the people really want them back? Knowing the magnitude of damage that these terrorists have caused Nigerians over the years, there are some who ask if—  ‘I am sorry’— will be enough to bring the people consolation.

How genuine is their surrender… knowing that the Boko Haram war is not just a physical conflict, but a battle of ideologies..?

What are the downsides to handing out the olive branch?  …if this is a subtle way to get back into communities, are we ready for the damage they can cause? Another damage envisaged includes lasting hostilities between the communities and the penitent terrorists.

Will they be trained abroad? … the first major amnesty exercise in Nigeria was handed to the Niger Delta Militants and asides monies paid, there were programmes for a good number of militants to be trained abroad.

Perhaps the argument here is that the militants were said to be fighting for the destruction of their lands and the suffering of the region following oil explorations, while the Boko Haram’s war is purely against western education, an idea which many have described as barbaric at best…

Why is amnesty a priority at this time? Senator Ali Ndume is perhaps the chief quizzer on this one. In a recent interview, the lawmaker who serves as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Army was of the opinion that it is only when the war has been won that we can begin to think about those who come out to surrender.

According to him, handing the terrorists an olive branch at this time will only encourage others to join the sect. He said having the exercise at this time is, at best, a misplacement of priority.

What about the IDPs?

As the nation begins to look critically into the rehabilitation of the ex-radicals, people are wondering if this development is not stalling the push to have displaced Nigerians returned to their homes. There are those who are of the opinion that the IDPs must at this moment remain the major focus of the government, not those who have inflicted pain on the nation. For these persons, the most important and yet to be answered question remains “when are the IDPs going home?”

Have they been yielding quality information?

For some Nigerians, one of the only bases upon which amnesty will be granted to any Boko Haram member should be based on the quality of information supplied. It is expected in some quarters of the country that the fighters who are surrendering at the moment, are giving the authorities very vital information that will see the army do major damages to any Boko Haram/ISWAP strongholds that still exists today. This way there could be a case made for them as regards helping the nation to quash the insurgency for good, maybe when this is done, then a course is charted for redemption.