No punishment is too much for rapists - Pastor Adeboye

Pastor Enoch Adeboye, General Overseer of Redeemed Christian Church of God, has said that every form of punishment that could be given to a rapist cannot be considered too severe.

He said this while speaking on the rising cases of rape in the country especially that of a 22-year-old 100Level student of Microbiology at the University of Benin, Edo State, Vera Uwaila Omozuwa.

Recall that Uwaila was brutally raped and killed inside a Redeemed Christian Church of God branch in the city while reading.

In a three-minute video message on his personal Twitter account, Adeboye stated that while no crime can be more grievous than rape, no pain can be compared to that of a parent whose daughter had been raped. He said, 

“In my own opinion, there is hardly any crime more grievous than rape, maybe with the possible exception of murder, because when you rape a girl you put a scar on her, not only physically but mentally, a scar that cannot be removed for the rest of her life.

I am telling you there is no pain that I know of that can compare to the pain of parent whose daughter has been raped, the girl that was raped and killed in Benin happened to be one of my daughters and I am telling you I feel the pain seriously.”

Adeboye said he would continue to pray for the murderer of Uwa to be arrested while also saying that he would pray that God kills anyone, who attempts to rape.

“I want to put this on record that both myself and my prayer warriors will not rest in prayer until the perpetrators of this evil are brought to justice.

I will pray that anyone who will ever think of raping anybody again, the almighty God will stop them before they can do so even if he has to take them away from this world to achieve that purpose,” he said.

Grace Oshiagwu, ND student has been raped and killed

Grace Oshiagwu, a 21-year-old female National Diploma student of Business Administration at the Oke Ogun Polytechnic, Saki, Oyo State, has been raped and killed.

The young lady was sexually assaulted and killed on Saturday afternoon at a church where her parents live around the Idi-Ori area of Shasha under Akinyẹle Local Government Area in Ibadan, the state capital.

A source, who confirmed the incident to SaharaReporters, said, "Yes, it was another rape case close to my street and the lady was murdered at the same Akinyẹle LGA where Barakat was killed a few weeks ago.

"But one thing that surprised me the most is that the lady's hair was shaved and taken away too. I feel it was for ritual purposes."

He revealed that her corpse had been deposited at Adeoyo State Hospital in Ibadan for autopsy.

Confirming the incident, the police in Oyo State said an investigation had commenced into the case.

The incident occurred 10 days after Shomuyiwa Azeezat, who was seven months pregnant and a postgraduate student of the University of Ibadan, was raped and killed in Akinyele LGA.

It also came after 18-year-old Barakat Bello was raped and killed in the same LGA.

Lady blames 2 year old for rape, loses custody of her children

Remember the lady who blamed her 2  year old child and beat her up for being raped? She has lost custody of her children, including the 2 year old.

It was reported that the Lady recently  beat up her 2-year-old daughter and called her a prostitute. This was after she allegedly caught a man raping her. 

After the video of the evil she did went viral, actions were put in place to take her two children away from her.

Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Youth and Social Development, Mrs. Yewande Falugba, led the rescue of the children at Oniru beach, where they lived with their mother.

She said that the two children, believed to have been abused, were taken for medical examination and treatment, adding that they are currently placed in one of the government-approved orphanages in the State for adequate care.

Falugba added that their mother, who was discovered to be mentally imbalanced, has since been taken to the State-owned rehabilitation center for mentally challenged persons.

Photo credit - Instablog 

Rape: Senate considers bill to stop stigmatisation of victims

The House of Senate is considering a bill to stop the stigmatisation of rape victims.

Although we really don't know how this is going to be achieved, reports have it that the bill has passed a second reading at the house of senate.

The title of the bill is self-explanatory:

"A Bill for an Act to Prohibit the Stigmatisation of Victims of Rape and Insurgency in order to encourage victims of rape to testify in court and victims of insurgency to be reintegrated into the community of his or her choice."

The bill was sponsored by Niger State’s Sani Musa, and was first read in the House in December 2019.

The bill will “provide a new lease of life for victims of rape,” the senator said, but little has been said about how exactly this ban on stigmatisation will work.

Another senator, Sandy Onor of Cross River, added that the bill “is action not words.” We must ensure that prosecution for rape and brutality against women is accelerated in our judicial process. Let justice be served in a way it should be served.

One would assume that an education, not a ban, would be the way to stop people from stigmatising against rape and insurgency. Still, it’ll be interesting to see what punishments this bill has for those declared erring.

Court acquits girl who allegedly killed father's friend

The magistrate court in Lagos has acquitted a fifteen year old girl who was accused of murder.

The fifteen year old girl whose name is withheld, was accused of killing her father's 51 year old friend, Babatunde Ishola when he was trying to rape her. 

The Lagos Magistrate court which was sitting in Yaba on Wednesday released her based on the legal advice of the Lagos State Director of Public Prosecution that the “case lacked ingredients of murder”.

Boy who defiled neighbour's daughter blames the devil

A 20 year old boy who defiled his neighbour's three year old daughter has blamed his actions on the devil.

The boy who was identified as Mubarak Musa said he hails from Shanono in Kano State.

He made his confession in a video which has gone viral. In the video, he said that he stepped out to go see his friend and saw the little girl.

He then asked her to accompany him to his friend's house. She did and when they got there, his friend wasn't home, so he took her in to a room and raped her.

Musa swore it was his first time. He claimed it was fate that it happened and blamed the the devil for pushing him to do it.

NAPTIP to Nigerians - Justify rape, get arrested

The Director-General (DG) of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Mrs Julie Okah-Donli, has warned Nigerians to desist from giving excuses for rape.

She said that such actions could get them arrested as suspects. She issued this warning while fielding questions from news reporters in Abuja.

She queried parents for not doing enough to take care of their wards and children, explaining that 90 per cent of rape cases were committed by uncles, fathers and relations.

According to her, many careless acts by parents are responsible for rape cases across the country.

She, therefore, said that the NAPTIP would approach the Ministry of Justice to push for the establishment of special court to try rapists.

Okah-Donli also called for life imprisonment instead of capital punishment for convicted rapists, adding that there was need to educate Nigerians, especially neighbours on rape issues.

We gathered that the agency’s toll-free lines to call during distress, especially as it concerns rape are – 07030000203, 0802255627847 and 08077225566.

The NAPTIP boss said that cases could also be reported on social media platforms such as the Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, among others.

She, however, said that there was no national template of victims’ trauma response to share pain, adding that the duration of psychological trauma varies from individuals.

Let there be a special court to prosecute rapists - Minister of Women Affairs

The Minister of Women Affairs, Mrs Pauline Tallen has advocated for the establishment of a Special Court to prosecute rape, Gender-Based Violence (GBV) cases and other sex offenders.

While briefing the media on the rampant cases of rape as part of activities to mark the forthcoming International Day of the African Child celebration, Tallen suggested this development.

The minister decried the increasing cases of rape and other forms of violence being recorded during the ongoing COVID-19 lockdown across the country.

She described the situation as worrisome and called for urgent attention to curb the tide.

According to her, the ministry is making efforts to expand the existing temporary shelters for women victims of abuse, as well as build new ones for the safety of survivors.

“As we were smarting from the effects of COVID-19, we were again hit by this spate of rapes and murders across the country.

I want to send a very loud signal to these mindless criminals that they can run but they cannot hide as the long arm of the law will catch up with them,” she said.

The minister also advocated the setting up of a Special Fund to address Gender-Based Violence and ensure sustainability of on-going initiatives with contributions from the public and private sectors.

Benue : 26 year old man arrested for allegedly raping 7 year old in church

A 26-year-old man, Patrick Onoja Igah, has been arrested for allegedly raping a 7-year-old girl inside the 7th wonder church premises in Owukpa area of Benue state over the weekend.

The spokesperson of the state police command, DSP Anene Sewuese Catherine, who confirmed this, said the suspect lured the victim who was out to buy something for her parents, into the church premises where he raped her.

''It is true. The girl is 7-years-old. She has been taken to the hospital. The suspect is 26-years old. It happened when the girl went to buy something and the suspect lured into the 7th Wonder church where he raped.'' she said

She also disclosed that the command is also on the trail of another suspect, Ediga Uja, who raped a 15-year-old girl, Miss Ene, while she was returning from the farm in Otukpo town on June 3. She said the suspect got the teenage girl by the roadside, beat her up, dragged her into the house, and then raped her.

She said efforts are being made to arrest the suspect who fled the environment after he committed the crime.

David's assistant called out for raping someone during NYSC

Davido's Assistant, Israel has joined the growing list of people to be called out on the grounds of rape.

Israel got called out by a Twitter user not long after he made a post giving ladies some tips on how to defend themselves against rapists.

The Twitter user with the handle @oyeronks slammed him for raping a lady many years back during his NYSC.

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Oluwo advices FG to legalise stun guns for women

Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrosheed Akanbi has advised that the Federal Government authorizes women to make use of stun guns and pepper spray to protect themselves from rapists.

This is one of the many reactions trailing the outbreak of rampant sexual harassment and molestation all over the place.

In the past week, social media was awash with conversations about rape as Nigerians called out alleged rapists and also called on the government to fish out the culprits of rape incidents reported during the week.

Two undergraduates, Vera Uwaila Omozuwa, a student of the University of Benin and Barakat Bello, a student of Institute of Agriculture, Research and Training, Ibadan were raped and murdered last week.

In a statement signed by his media, Alli Ibrahim, Oluwo reacted to the recent rape incidents by asking the government “to consider the legalisation of the use of stun guns and pepper spray by females as protective items.”

The monarch said, 

“Many ladies were raped and killed. I’ve strong trust that the items, when approved for females will protect them against such an unjust treatment and return sanctity to our society."

Uti Nwachukwu responds to the rape allegations against him

Uti Nwachukwu is a Nollywood actor and the winner of Big Brother Africa Season 5. He was recently in the news when he was called out on the grounds of rape.

An IG user with the username @kambilikorie had gone on Instagram to drag Uti for allegedly raping her some years ago.

However, there's a twist to the event of things as the handle used to accuse the actor has been deleted. None, Uti has spoken up on the allegations levelled against him. 

He took to Instagram to say,

"I didn’t want to be speaking this unfortunate allegations gain; but it’s also important that I update you all on recent developments. •

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My accuser- who’s account was created only recently to accuse me of this horrendous crime, has been deleted before investigators could identify her. •

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This is unfortunate because it doesn’t fully exonerate me from the accusation the way the courts would have done; I REALLY needed the opportunity to prove my innocence so this culprit could face the full penalties. •

•

However, I am still going to continue to work and cooperate with the police to get to the bottom of this. 

Victims of sexual abuse need to be heard and believed, and it’s why I will continue to pursue this to prevent anyone else from making it even harder from victims to speak out. •

•

Thank you all for your messages and show of support; it’s been a difficult period, but I appreciate how so many of you who know me, have stood by me.🙏🏾"

Rep member, Ahmed Jaha reverses rape comments, apologises

Ahmed Jaha, a member of the House of Representatives has openly regretted and renounced the comments he made at Thursday’s plenary. He gave a sincere apology to Nigerians, especially women.

In an interview on Saturday in Abuja, Ahmed Jaha reversed his comments at the debate that women should cultivate a habit of proper dressing to avoid unnecessary harassment from men who could not control themselves.

The lawmaker, representing Chibok, Damboa, Gwoza Federal Constituency of Borno, said he regretted making such a statement as it affected the sensitivity of women. He said,

“I have made a mistake that has offended the sensibilities of fellow Nigerians and indeed, fellow human beings, particularly women who are our mothers, wives, sisters, and daughters.

While I totally reaffirm my position that rapists should face death sentences, I regret the part that talks about the dressing of women.

I deeply apologise for this position, because as some have rightly argued, my comments, could imply that women who are victims, share the blame of being raped.

This clearly, could not have been the intention of someone who suggested a death penalty for rapists”.

The lawmaker said that there were three sets of people who never made mistakes – “the dead, those incapacitated and those that are healthy, but useless to the society”.

Jaha said a woman’s choice of dressing could not justify rape, saying that if women who were the weaker sex show discipline by looking away when men were not well dressed, men should even do better.

“I know that it is a divine responsibility for every good man to protect and preserve the pride of a woman.

Most women are born with the natural strength of endurance, that is why they are able to go through childbirth, to nurture families, take care of relations and still able to earn descent livelihoods.

Women do things with completeness. I admire this so much, because I have benefited from the sincerity and commitment of women.

I hold women with the highest respect, with great pride and with so much love that is pure and responsible,” the parliamentarian added.

Ahmed Jaha also apologised to his colleagues in the house and his constituents who might have been disappointed by his comments, especially female lawmakers.

Zoro flatly denies rape allegations against him

Popularly known as Zoro, Nigerian rapper, Owoh Chimaobi Chrismathner has come out to flatly deny the allegations of rape that were levelled against him.

It can be recalled that in the wake of the ongoing call-outs of sexual molesters by their victims, a lady known as Yachit called Zoro out for allegedly raping her in 2015.

Yachit, whose Instagram handle is @mystic_sweetness went to her Instagram page to accuse the rapper of forcefully having sex with her back in 2015.

In a lengthy post shared on his Instagram page on Saturday, June 6, 2020, the rapper denied raping the young lady.

According to him, he wonders why the said young lady is trying to accuse him falsely and what she hopes to gain from the allegations. Zoro wrote,

"Rape is such a nasty act, that I will never ever take partake in it or be involved with anybody that rapes, I even find it difficult to say the word. I feel really terrible that someone has accused me of the act. 

I do not know exactly why she is doing what she is doing. I forgive and I pray God forgives her too, but because this will also hurt people that look up to me, the family brands I work with and fans, I have decided to take legal actions to address this.

I am willing as well to provide legal support to Yachit too so she has proper representation and to make sure there’s no thought of suppression or intimidation.

My team also tried to contact her to understand exactly what her problems are but she labeled it suppression and trying to shut her up which is also false, this one weak me meyne but God Dey. 

To make it clear, I did not rape Yachit. I’m putting this out ahead of my legal team’s statement. Stay careful out there guys ✌🏾".

Fayemi - "No more bail for rapists in Ekiti"

Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State has said that no person convicted for sex offence, such as rape in any part of the state would enjoy his powers of prerogative of mercy.

This is coming due to the recent rampant cases of sex abuse in the state. Fayemi made the announcement in Ado Ekiti, while signing the Compulsory Treatment and Care for Child Victims of Sexual Violence Bill 2020 into law.

He directed the State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Wale Fapohunda, to henceforth oppose bail or plea bargaining for rape offenders in the state.

This is coming, just as the Governor, who doubles as the Chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum, (NGF), vowed to mobilize other 35 state Governors, to declare state of emergency on rape.

The governor said that rape often led to untimely deaths and emotional trauma, and was beyond what the government of a particular state can conquer alone.

Fayemi further added that he would use his position as the Chairman of the Governors’ forum to rally support of his colleague governors, on the need to declare state of emergency against the menace in their respective jurisdictions.

Lala Akindoju shares rape account of another victim

The rape allegations against Nollywood director, Victor Okpala is on the increase as another alleged victim speaks up.

Lala Akindoju, a Nollywood actress and filmmaker has written about the account of another alleged victim of Victor Okpala.

In a video shared on Instagram, the victim whose identity is being protected, recounted how she was raped by the director on the set of one of his productions in Igando area of Lagos state.

"So I was rehearsing lines with one of my colleagues and one of his boys came to call me. And I went up to the room, he told me to sit down. 

He was on the bed with his laptop in his hands and he asked how far I wanted to go in the industry. I told him 'very far'. I have big dreams.

He said 'But you know you have to work very hard for that. You know you won't get that on a platter of gold. You have to sacrifice something to get something'.

'What do you mean sir?' Were the exact words I said. He said 'You are an adult right'? I told him, 'Sir I don't understand what you are saying but if I am getting the picture right, you are talking about sexual activity..."

Okpala then promised to feature her in all his film productions and make her famous if she agreed to his terms while forcefully taking advantage of her.

The filmmaker is yet to officially respond to the sexual harassment accusations.

Man sentenced to death for raping 2 year old girl to death

A man has been sentenced to death in Kaduna for raping a two-year-old girl to death.

Justice Kabir Dabo of the Kaduna State High Court sitting in Dogarawa Sabon Gari, Zaria, sentenced Usman Shehu Bashir on Wednesday, June 3, 2020, according to a report by The Punch.

The convict's death sentence relied on Section 221 of the Penal Code, Kaduna State law 1999 (as amended). Bashir had confessed to the crime of luring the child, identified as Fatima, and raping her for 40 minutes, leading to her death. The incident took place in 2015.

Sexual crimes have attracted national attention over the past week after the high-profile rape and murder of Uwaila Omozuwa, a 22-year-old first year student of the University of Benin.

The Jigawa State Police Command also announced the arrest of 11 men who had, at different times and on many occasions, allegedly raped a 12-year-old girl.

This was then followed by the rape and murder of Barakat Bello, 18, at the home she shared with her family on Monday, June 1.

Many Nigerians have called for stiffer penalties for rapists, as well as the faithful implementation of current laws.

During plenary on Tuesday, June 2, the President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, called on State Assemblies to amend the penal and criminal code to deter rapists with stiffer penalties. "We stand together shoulder to shoulder on this, and I think we need to make the penalties for rape stiffer to be sufficient deterrent for those who are involved in this, or who even desire to be involved," he said.

Man remanded for raping 7 month old daughter

A 38 year old man has been remanded in Makurdi Correctional Centre. The man who was identified as Simon Emeka was arraigned for allegedly raping his seven-month-old daughter, Prosper Emeka.

The ruling was made by a Chief Magistrates’ Court sitting in Makurdi, the Benue State capital, on Friday.

When the case came up for mentioning, Police Prosecuting Officer, Friday Kanshio, informed the court that on June 1, one Josephine Habba of No 34 Modern Market Road, Makurdi, went to the Nigerian Police Force ‘D’ Division Makurdi and lodged a complaint.

She said that on the same date, she went to Jestic Hospital in Makurdi with her daughter for treatment and she heard one Favour Emeka crying and telling a nurse that her seven-month-old baby girl named Prosper Emeka was raped by her husband.

He said during Police investigation, the said Simon Emeka was arrested for committing the crime which is contrary to section 391 and 284 of the penal code law of Benue State.

No plea was taken for want of jurisdiction. However, the accused pleaded not guilty to the charge.

The Police Prosecuting Officer further told the court that further investigation into the matter was on and asked for another date to enable the prosecution to prove its case.

Magistrates Isaac Ajim agreed with the officer and ordered that the accused be remanded at the Nigerian Correctional Service.

He adjourned the case till August 31, 2020, for further mention.

Ogun : 25 yr-old boy arrested for raping 70 yr-old grandma

It has been brought to our notice that the Ogun State Police Command has arrested a  25 year-old-man. The man who was identified as Wasiu Bankole was arrested for allegedly raping a 70 year-old grandmother.

The suspect was arrested following a report by the victim at Agbado police division. She reported that while she was asleep in her house on June 2,  at Abule lemode area of ijoko at about 8 pm, the suspect broke into her room, held her down and forcefully had carnal knowledge of her against her consent.

The Ogun State  Public Relations Officer (PPRO) ,Abimbola Oyeyemi , said that the victim stated further that it was one of her neighbours who heard her screaming that came to rescue her.

The neighbour used a stick to hit the suspect on  his back which made him jump off her and run away, leaving his clothes, shoes and torchlight in her room.

The detectives succeeded in getting him arrested after about 24 hours. On interrogation, he confessed to committing the crime but claimed to have acted under the influence of alcohol.

Caught : Loads of pro-rape tweets from Peruzzi resurface online

Nigerian Singer, Peruzzi was called out by a lady for allegedly raping her in 2012.

The call out went down on Twitter Nigeria and of course, he denied the allegation. 

However, some pro-rape tweets which he made between 2011 and 2012, which is believed to be within the time frame when he raped the lady has resurfaced online.

And although Peruzzi rushed to delete his tweets of as far back as 2012, the Internet never forgets.

He even boldly tweeted, "I am a Rapist" on one occasion.

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