… Continuous closure of courts worsening victims’ plights –NGO
BY TIMOTHY AGBOR OSOGBO
DURING the lockdown ordered by the Federal and state governments last year to curtail the spread of coronavirus, there was an alarming upsurge in the cases of rape and other gender-based violence in Osun State.
The ugly trend reached a crescendo between April and June in 2020 when the Police confirmed that seven cases were reported within two months.
Investigations by The Point showed that the number of reported cases was far lesser than the unreported, as there were many cases, which were being concealed by victims and their families in the state.
Findings revealed that aside from sexual assault; some culprits engaged in rape for ritual purposes, which posed bigger threats to the victims. Of the seven recorded cases, five of the victims were minors between the ages of seven and 16 years.
Reports made available by the Police revealed that Ile-Ife had the highest record with three cases within the period under review; while Osogbo, Ilesa, Ila- Orangun and Ibokun had one each.
A middle-aged-man, Isiaka Adeyombo, of Ayelabowo Street, Ile-Ife was arrested on May 28, 2020 for allegedly raping a 16-year-old girl.
Adeyombo was accused of dragging his victim into his house and having unlawful carnal knowledge of her.
Also, a 28-year-old man, Oyerinde Oyeniyi was arrested for allegedly raping his 11-year-old landlord’s daughter on June 14, 2020.
The proprietor of Tutor General Coaching Centre, Ile-Ife, Eronse Balat, was also accused of raping a 23-year-old physically challenged girl on June 17, 2020.
It was learnt that Balat did take the victim to his centre where he allegedly raped her on several occasions until she became pregnant.
In Osogbo, a 15-year-old local drink seller was allegedly raped by a septuagenarian, Jacob Ayinla, on June 10, 2020.
Ayinla was accused of luring his victim into his house under the pretext of buying ‘pito’, a local drink, and had unlawful carnal knowledge of her.
According to report, one Adeoye Makinde (30) of Y87A, Isona Street, Ilesa was arrested on June 16, 2020 for allegedly attempting to rape a 13-year-old girl. Makinde was accused of luring the girl into his house and had a failed attempt to rape her.
It was also gathered that a seven-year-old girl was allegedly defiled on June 17, 2020 by a 19-year-old boy, Afolabi Isiaka at Adekunle area, Ila-Orangun.
Also, a 50-year-old man, Adeleye Fayemiwo was arrested by the Police for allegedly raping his daughter at Agbongbe Street, Ibokun.
Even before the lockdown was ordered last year, a public school teacher in the state, Gbenga Samson Ayenioye, and his friend, a theatre practitioner, Tunde AmokeOja, had been arrested and arraigned at an Osogbo Magistrate’s Court for allegedly raping an underage (name withheld) in the month of February, 2020 at Latona Area and Delightful Gold Hotel in Osogbo.
Disturbed by this trend, Governor Gboyega Oyetola said the state would soon release its maiden edition of Sex and Gender-Based Offender’s Register. He said the Register would, among others, help to blacklist offenders and forestall recurrence. But investigation by The Point revealed that the state government had yet to make any rapist a scapegoat even amid the upsurge of cases.
Stakeholders have lamented that the state government only “talks without any action or achievements to show for it.”
As part of efforts to nip in the bud the spate of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and other related crimes against women and children, Governor Oyetola, last year August, inaugurated the Gender-Based Management Committee of the State that would tackle rape and other assaults.
Oyetola had said the initiative was in furtherance of the government’s commitment to ensuring deserved place for women and children in the State, but the committee chaired by the wife of the Governor, Mrs Kafayat Oyetola, has not prosecuted any case of rape or recorded any landmark success on war against rape in the state since about one year of its inuaguration, findings by The Point revealed.
Despite that the committee is fortified with major stakeholders in the fight against rape and other gender-based violence, most victims still lack legal representation and psychological attention across the state.
Meanwhile, a Non- Governmental Organisation in Osun State, Value Female Network (VFN), has said another factor that is worsening rape cases is the continuous close of courts by the Judicial workers.
The Executive Director of VFN, Costly Aderibigbe-Saba, said criminals might be emboldened with the continuous closure of courts and that the Police might be forced to start releasing suspects since the cells had been overcrowded.
“This is a very unpalatable situation we find ourselves in Nigeria. With the continuous closure of courts, crimes will increase and criminals will be emboldened. Many of the gender-related and human rights abuses cases that we are pursuing in courts have been affected. We all know that justice delayed is justice denied,” the ED said.
“We want our courts, that is seen as the last hope of the common man, to be functional again. A lot of people are already going through trauma because their abusers are walking the streets unpunished,” the VFN stated.
BABA IJESHA SAGA
Another very pathetic case is the one involving two popular figures in the entertainment industry.
Nigerian comedienne cum actress, Damilola Adekoya, popularly known as Princess, had, last week, shared more details about all that transpired in the CCTV footage, which captured one of her colleagues, Olarenwaju Omiyinka, aka Baba Ijesha, allegedly molesting her foster daughter.
She said, during an Instagram live chat on Thursday night, alongside her colleague, Iyabo Ojo, that ‘‘I watched Baba Ijesha molest and lick my daughter non-stop for 30 minutes on the CCTV’’.
Baba Ijesha was taken into police custody, a few days ago for allegedly sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl (Princess’ daughter) from the age of seven.
The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, Hakeem Odumosu, however, said the popular Yoruba actor was in custody for alleged sexual assault and not rape as it was currently being reported.
PARENTS, GUARDIANS MUST STEP UP VIGILANCE
Analysts have called on parents and guardians alike, to step up vigilance with respect to their underage girls, saying societal values have almost been eroded in present times.
“Fathers, brothers, uncles and even grandfathers now molest the children. We need to mentor and guide our female children more, even the boys, so that they can defend themselves more and move away swiftly from potential assault. Punishment for offenders must also be stiffer,” Mrs. Yemi Awoyaya, a child right activist told our correspondent.
