Reluctance on the part of rape victims ’ families to report incidents and the fear of social stigma explain why many culprits escape prosecution and cases of rape keep rising , OLUWATOSIN OMOJUYIGBE reports


Rape , especially of underage children , is gradually assuming alarming proportions across Nigeria. An investigation by our correspondent showed that in the last nine months over 70 per cent of cases of rape recorded in various parts of the country involved underage children.

In January 2019 , for example , an Islamic cleric, Abdulsalam Salaudeen , was reportedly arrested for allegedly defiling a five -year - old girl in Lagos .

The 43 -year - old cleric, who was the victim ’s teacher , was seen in a video footage unlawfully having carnal knowledge of the little girl.
The following month, Rafiu Moruf, 44 , was arrested by operatives of the Ogun State Police Command for allegedly defiling a six -year -old girl.

The suspect ’s arrest came after the victim ’s mother noticed an unusual behaviour in her daughter , which prompted her to closely examine the girl. She saw traces of semen in her daughter ’ s private part . When questioned, the girl recounted how the suspect took her into his room and had carnal knowledge of her.

In April , a driver with the University of Lagos Women Society Nursery and Primary School, Lagos , Abiodun Matthew, was also alleged to have sexually molested a four - year -old pupil of the school .

The victim , it was gathered, was one of the pupils who were sometimes left in the care of Matthew by a teacher at the school.

Also, a man named Kabiru Oke and his son , Faruq , were arrested for allegedly raping and impregnating the daughter of his sister - in-law in the Egbeda area of Lagos .

The suspects had allegedly taken advantage of the fact that the victim lived with them . They also threatened to kill her if she dared to tell anyone about their actions.

Kabiru and his son were exposed after the victim’ s mother suspected some changes in her, which led to the discovery that she was pregnant.

Similarly , in April , a 21 - year -old man, Uchechukwu Obura , was arrested for allegedly raping a six -year - old girl in Ebonyi State .
The suspect was said to have lured the girl into a bathroom and had carnal knowledge of her.

In another development, the police in Katsina State arrested a 25 - year -old man, Hussaini Muntari , in April for allegedly impregnating his neighbour ’s 12 -year - old daughter .

The father of the victim got to know that Muntari had been unlawfully having carnal knowledge of his daughter , following the discovery that she was three months pregnant .

In June, 43 -year - old Francis Joseph , who had four wives and nine children , was arrested by the Police in Ondo State for allegedly raping his friend ’s 12 -year - old daughter .

As reported, Joseph did not only lure the girl to his house where he forcefully defiled her, but also he threatened to make sure she died mysteriously if she told anybody else about the incident .

The victim did not report the incident to anyone until she started bleeding in the middle of the night and was rushed to the hospital.

In July , the police in Lagos arrested a certain Pastor Pope Paul for allegedly raping and impregnating a 15 - year -old girl at his residence in the Igando area of the state . The mother of the victim had discovered that her daughter was pregnant a few months after sending her to live with the pastor .

During interrogation, the victim confirmed that the suspect was responsible for the pregnancy , adding that he started having sexual intercourse with her in January 2018 .

Also, the Lagos State Police Command in July arrested a 68 -year - old man, Yisah Showunmi , for allegedly raping his own daughter who was 15 years-old .

Showunmi ’s daughter was said to have reported that he had sexual intercourse with her for more than three years . She added that her two friends , who lived with them , were also sexually assaulted by her father .

One Aliyu Mohammed, who was caught in the act of raping a 14 - year -old girl in an uncompleted building , was also arrested by the command in July .

Unfortunately , our correspondent gathered from the police , most of these cases have not been duly prosecuted till date. This is because the victims refused to give evidence in court.

Explaining this , the Police Public Relations Officer , Ondo State Police Command, Femi Joseph, in an interview with our correspondent, said that most parents were often reluctant to report cases of rape because of the fear of being stigmatised.

Joseph said , “ We don ’t joke with the issue of rape, but we have challenges in prosecuting the suspects because some parents don ’t want to report the case because of the fear of stigma , which is one of the factors that has contributed to its rise in the country .

“ Parents tend to sweep the matter under the carpet , even when they are compelled by circumstances beyond their control to report the matter. By the time they make up their minds , it will be too late . The evidence will have been destroyed .

“ In our adjudicating system in Nigeria , the burden of proof is shifted on the prosecution and in doing that, you need a principal witness , which is the victim . Most of the time , these people don ’t cooperate with us. And when the evidence is not sufficient , the case will be dismissed for want of evidence .”

Citing an instance , the PRO added that a female student of the Adekunle Ajasin University , Akungba-Akoko , who was allegedly raped by a soldier at a military checkpoint on Ikare Akoko - Akungba Akoko Road , had been evasive. She had virtually failed to give evidence in court .

Speaking on the same subject , the Police Public Relations Officer in Imo State , Ikeokwu Orlando , also lamented the failure on the part of most victims of rape to cooperate with the police .

He said, “ We have been able to charge some of these suspects to court, but the problems we face when prosecuting these cases in court is that victims of rape don ’t like to come out to give evidence in court. We cannot get conviction , if we can ’ t prove these cases beyond reasonable doubts. The victims always want the matter to end at the police station, but the ones that are bold enough do give evidence . ”

Also, in his reaction , the Katsina State Police Public Relations Officer , Isah Gambo , noted that victims of rape and their parents were usually unwilling to testify against their assailants in court , among other reasons .

Gambo said , “ We have discovered that parents are reluctant to report cases of rape involving their daughters or wards . Also they are not willing to testify against suspected rapists in court for fear of being stigmatised or threatened . Some of them also tamper with evidence before they report at the police station. Some cases are influenced by influential people in the community .

“ We also have other challenges , such as the medical report not coming on time and inadequate medical personnel , logistics and forensic laboratories . ”

Corroborating the claims of the police , the Coordinator of the Domestic Sexual and Vilence Response Team, Titilola Vivour -Adeniyi , noted that the act of shifting the blame on rape victims often discouraged the victim from pursuing the prosecution of rape suspects .

She said , “ When a suspect is arrested , the police will commence investigation and if there is a prima facie case against the suspect, he will be charged to court.

“ In terms of prosecution, there are two major challenges . One of them is the situation whereby a part of the society faults the victim of rape by blaming her for the incident or covering up for the suspect . When that happens , the victim , who initially desired to explore justice , will be cowed , threatened or coerced to drop the case. That is a major challenge , no doubt .

“ The issue of the society shifting the blame and attention on the victim continues to encourage the culture of impunity . A situation where persecutors commit offences and people beg on their behalf fosters impunity when the suspects are not duly prosecuted .”

Vivour -Adeniyi noted that the statistics in Lagos also showed an increase in formal reporting of sexual and gender -based violence , which means that people are speaking out more and they are increasingly aware of the services available to them in the state.

She , however, added that if there was an increase in advocacy and confidence in the judiciary system , victims of rape would be encouraged to speak out more and to seek access to justice .

A psychologist, Prof. Oni Fagboungbe , however, urged the police to educate the victims on the dangers of not testifying against their abusers .

According to him , the refusal of victims to witness against the rape suspects could become a motivating factor for other criminals .

He said, “ The police should continue to orientate the victims on the implication of not coming out proactively to give evidence against rape suspects . It makes the suspects to escape their obnoxious actions and become motivating factors for other suspects .

“ The police should let the victims know that they are not helping themselves and society at large by keeping mute . They need to know that the probability of becoming a victim again is high when their assailants are not punished for their actions .”

Speaking on how victims of rape can move on from their traumatic experience, Fagboungbe noted that visits to a counselling psychologist could assist them to create a situation that would help them to overcome the trauma resulting from their experience.

He said the society ought to assist the victims by not condemning them or seeking excuses for the suspects , adding that they should be sympathetic to the victims .

A psychologist, Prof. Oni Fagboungbe , however, urged the police to educate the victims on the dangers of not testifying against their abusers .

He said, “ The police should continue to orientate the victims on the implication of not coming out proactively to give evidence against rape suspects . It makes the suspects to escape their obnoxious actions and become motivating factors for other suspects .

“ The police should let the victims know that they are not helping themselves and society at large by keeping mute . They need to know that the probability of becoming a victim again is high when their assailants are not punished for their actions .”