Youths charge govt to prioritise rape issues, implement laws
A 20-year-old girl, Chioma, has disclosed that five men raped her and inserted rods and sticks inside her private part following her abduction for five days.
Chioma, a native of Nsukka in Enugu State, was raped by five men at Onunwafor Ezzagu, in Ishielu Local Government area of Ebonyi State. She disclosed that she and her brother were abducted by the suspects.
Confirming the incident, the state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Loveth Odah, said the youths took laws into their hands by abducting Chioma and her business partners and holding them hostage for five days in a bush where the girl was raped.
Narrating her ordeal to journalists in Abakaliki, Chioma said they had gone to Ezzagu market to introduce their goods, which included noodles, pampers and power oil. It was reported that the owner of the business ran away from the area without paying investors their capital and shares of profit, and so in anger, the youths abducted Chioma and her colleagues and raped her.
She was repeatedly raped by five boys from the community while others inserted hands, rods and sticks into her private part, noting that the intervention of the police saved her.
“A company employed me to advertise noodles, pampers, vegetable oil and other products. Then, in the business, there is what we call investment and win. If you put N1,000, you will receive N1,500. We were just doing that and we were paying our customers (investors).
“One day, our boss travelled and I went to the office, but I couldn’t see three of our colleagues. I only saw my elder brother and one other guy that was working with us. As we were in the office, the youths of the community came there and started beating us, asking us the whereabouts of our boss. I told them I couldn’t see him. They tore my clothes; pant and bra and took us to a thick forest and threatened to kill us.
“They started molesting me sexually. Some used penis and had sex with me while some used hands and inserted into my vagina. Some were pressing my breasts. After they finished molesting me, they said my elder brother must have sex with me.”
Meanwhile, concerned about the spate of rape incidents across the country, some youths have urged federal and state governments to give priority to issues of rape and all forms of sexual and gender-based violence in the country.
The youths gave the charge during a march held at Alaba International, Lagos State, organised by some non-governmental organisations.
Speaking to The Guardian, founder of Gift A Child Initiative, Deborah Ajayi Eseni, said the protest was aimed at registering their displeasure at how the government at all levels were handling rape cases and related issues in the country, as well as create awareness on the menace.
She said the move for the protest was to ensure everyone in the society is aware of the crime, while the government must double its efforts to implement stringent actions that would serve as deterrents to perpetrators of rape.
The Founder of Teens World, Solomon Esther Aniekan, said the only way to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) number five in Nigeria is when perpetrators are penalised to save the future of young girls. She further cautioned against those indulging in false rape accusation, saying it is also a crime that deserves punishment.
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