Oloruntimilehin Ayomide
The House of Representatives on Thursday spent hours to debate the rising spate of sexual violence across Nigeria, calling for stricter measures to check the crime.
A member of the Representatives, Rotimi Agunsoye had moved a motion titled ‘The Need to Condemn the Rising Cases of Sexual Violence and Other Social Vices Against Women, and Police Brutality: Justice for Uwa Omozuwa, Tina Ezekwe and Others.’
However, In a bid to bringing the criminals to justice, The House, based on adoption of the motion, urged the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, to “immediately cause investigations into the cases of Uwa Omozuwa, Tina Ezekwe, the reported rape of minor in Jigawa State, as well as all other reported cases of violence against women.
The following punishments: death sentence, castration and amputation was recommended for rapists by the lawmakers, while debating the motion.
The House, however, voted on only one of the recommendations, castration, which was rejected by the lawmakers.
The House urged the Federal Government to launch a more effective campaign against the rising case of rape and other violence against women and girls.
Last week, Vera Uwaila Omozuwa, a 22-year-old microbiology student was raped in a church identified as The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) the crime has sparked outrage across Nigeria.
Last Wednesday evening, a church security guard found Uwa, as she is known, unconscious in a pool of blood, according to her family.
She was rushed to hospital but died on Saturday afternoon.
The attack on a university student in a church has horrified many in Nigeria, a deeply religious country.
Also on Monday, three armed men gang-raped a 17-year-old hawker at Oja Oba Market in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital.
A member of the reps, James Faleke, had recommended that persons found guilty of raping minors should be castrated.
The House “mandates all members to dress in black at the next sitting, show solidarity with the victims: Uwa Omozuwa, Tina Ezekwe and others.”
During the debate, the Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila was unhappy with the rising rape case.
“This is such a sick, despicable and ungodly act. Ordinarily, I would have allowed the women to contribute but because of the nature and the seriousness of it, and to show that it societal cuts across gender.” he said.
One of the members of the reps, Henry Achibong however drew the ire of members, especially females, when he also blamed rape victims for how they dress.
A female member, Linda Ikpeazu, was seen disagreeing with Achibong and raising her voice from where she was seated.
Kabir Ibrahim Tukura (Kebbi), in his submission, called for amputation of rapists.
We need to also bring stiff penalties. Penalties like capital punishment, castration, amputation (sic) of the manhood. If you can stoop low to rape a child, I don’t think you deserve to have manhood. You don’t deserve it because it controls you, you don’t control it. And as a man if you cannot control your manhood, you don’t deserve to have it,” he said.
