The Boatman is angry today and would not waste time defining rape and blaming it on anything, even on nudity. These things people talk about such as skimpy dresses, nudity, twerking, waving your ass at men, etc, are nothing but bad manners, but they can only seduce boys, not attract rape. Yes, girls should try to avoid unsafe places, if they can help it, but these are lessons of old. They cannot be reason for the explosion of rape, defilement, and sacrilege going on in Nigeria right now.
A lot of persons (do I call them hidden pro-Rape ideologues) have tried to water down the outcry by calling every action Rape, just to make fun at the serious matter and see if it could end the mass anger. They think we do not know their motive. It is bad enough to victimize a lady who refused a man’s advances, it is bad enough to use insistent persuasion to get through into a lady, but it is criminal to apply force and gain access into her. Oh, it is sacrilegious to kill a lady in the process of raping her or for not allowing you.
First, looking for fiercer punishment in Nigeria is a waste of time because have we even applied effectively the 14 years in the statute books already? The failure so far is in arrest, investigation and prosecution, period. Have we done these?
How many cases of rape take place in a month? We hear over 100 reported ones, but it could be 300 actually. How many arrests are made? Less than 20 oh! Then, how many convictions do we get in a month? Less then five!
This means that out of 100 reported and 300 possible cases in a month, less than five ‘heroes’ get convicted. This means that about 295 girls are sulking and hurting somewhere in our land, and we still hope for God’s or Allah’s blessing, hoping for prosperity, for economic success, for good end? Most rapes draw blood and violent blood must cry to heaven, must speak against somebody.
In the olden days, blood must be atoned, in this Pentecostal era, blood of Jesus must be invoked to cancel the other blood speaking against someone or against some land. So, if you have not atoned like of old, and you have not pleaded for the Blood, how do you walk about free, marry, raise children, and hope to eat the fruit of your labour? How do you expect the land you defiled and soiled to bear safe succour for you and host your generations?
There is some remedy, even if it does not eliminate it. In criminology, the theory is that if a crime is easy to commit and repercussion is difficult to obtain, it would become commonplace, just as rape has come to be. Since we know that rapists in low and high places are walking about free, the only remedy is to halt their freedom. How?
Do not rely on the police; they will do bribri for now and when it dies down, they go back to sleep. There are three possible levels of counter-attack on rape: Institutional, organizational, and personal. Institutional response is important. It talks about what the criminal justice system (police, courts, prison) can do, what the state governments can do, etc. They can do a lot, if they wanted. Sometimes it is lack of serious demand for action that fails them.
The next is personal action; what the victim and his relations can do. Some ladies or their brothers have plotted quietly and carried out assassination of the rapist and his relations. Some have vowed and pressed the matter in police and court (CJA) until something happened.
Our topic right now, however, is the need for organizational response, which is totally absent. The war against racism in the US right now is being waged by organizations oh; they have cells, lawyers, filmers, mobilisers, encouragers, funders, etc. We thus plead for some top women with financial and other clouts to kindly step into this gap and help the bleeding girls. How? Atiku’s wife has done it, in the fight against trafficking ladies. Even 10 of such women can come together, form an NGO, set up an office in Abuja, create virtual offices (online) around the states or attach a desk in FIDA offices nationwide. They donate handsomely to a fund, create action plan, monitor and audit.
The fund would be used to hire investigators (mostly retired police officers of impeccable records, journalists, etc. They are there).
Victims fear going to the police, but they would gladly face fatherly and compassionate counselors/investigators. The investigation and evidence gathering would be thorough. The fund would retain SANs/top lawyers and cases would be assigned to them with fees paid. They could prosecute the cases on civil grounds and press for huge claims. This is to avoid tangling with police actions, or the private prosecutor would work with the police prosecutor who is under watch and pressure by the Women Lobby Board that would be formed. Whatever support the victim needs to stand firm on the case would be provided: relocation, back to school, care for the pregnancy, small business to survive, etc. It is the pressure from family and fear of the unknown that make them to back down. The moment a girl gets such backing, you will see that a lioness is no ordinary animal.
The CJA (criminal justice system or administration) can work hard and fast if it is oiled, pressed, and/or threatened. Volunteers, especially from crime reporters/editors, can come in to help in investigations anywhere in Nigeria. Other forms of volunteering will come in. Awards and rewards can be structured for outstanding volunteers and donors. The NGO or Board would retain an Executive Secretary to run the secretariat and follow up on others with her small staff.
This NGO with powerful women such as female senators, ministers, CEOs, wives of General Overseers and Imams, top female editors, female publishers, volunteering SANs, etc, would lead to one thing: swift but successful investigation and prosecution of every single rape case. Guess what? Rape will come down, it will dry up, I tell you. Every criminal gang will warn members never to rape; every mother will plead with his son not to ever touch a girl by force oh, every pastor will beg the members not to ever look at a woman harshly.
The volunteering can have time span such as five years on the board but can be renewed. If at least 10 top women start it, mobilize national and international support and funding, attract hundreds of others and volunteers, bet me, rape will dry up in Nigeria. Nigeria would become a model and a global example in this. This writer can submit a full proposal if required. The NGO will surely attract huge support and funding, I bet you.
It can be done. Rape has remedy!
