Rape, murder and our failure to protect our daughters

This is not funny anymore; a father cannot send his daughters to school and have peace of mind anymore. Parents cannot be fully happy that their children have secured jobs and are climbing the ladder of success.

Society, both in the city and the village, has turned into a dreadful space that before stepping out, one needs to say a prayer and hope it is not the last. Likewise, before going to bed, hoping one will have another chance to see another day.

Nigeria is fast becoming a mature jungle with the spate of missing girls, kidnapping, rape, and rituals now so common and easy to do. We are losing our beautiful daughters to these monsters and breeding a generation of evil.

Our security agencies only jump on what is left of the story and show that they can investigate and bring culprits to book to get some sort of credit, rather than installing and monitoring CCTV cameras and swiftly swinging into action in preventing the crime itself and saving lives.

These atrocities are rampant when an election is fast approaching and that is what is playing out in recent times. But beyond that, we cannot overlook the likes of Andrew Nice, the Lagos BRT driver who allegedly killed Bamise Ayanwola, and Abdulmalik Mohammed Tanko, the Kano school teacher who kidnapped and killed 5-year-old Hanifa Abubakar.

It is a dire situation really, much more worrisome than we may think. So our daughters are not just at risk of being used for money rituals, they are also at risk of being raped, and being used for rituals for advancement. It’s a triple tragedy on a daily basis for our young girls.

Should we stop birthing a girl child? How can a 22-year-old budding talent with so much ahead of her, be raped and killed all because she boarded a BRT to go home from work? How can Hanifa, a child who doesn’t even know her right from left, be kidnapped, raped, and poisoned to death all because she was a student of your school? What is going on people?

It is time to brace up, the 2023 elections are coming, and we must protect our daughters and vulnerable sons too from these senseless individuals who only want to achieve their selfish interests at all costs.

Aside from kidnapping, rape, and rituals, elections periods are known to be violent times with many clashes. Many of which lead to deaths. Oppositions are strategising their moves which also include the use of thugs and hoodlums; we must get ready for these unsafe times.

For instance, in Rivers state, the protracted battle between governor Nyesom Wike and Rotimi Amaechi could be rekindled, and cause clashes in the state during the electioneering period.

Rauf Aregbesola’s loyalists in Osun state are up against those of Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Gboyega Oyetola. Rochas Okorocha still has beef with governor Hope Uzodinma. The 2023 elections present a stage for supporters of these political ‘enemies’ to engage each other violently, causing deaths and destruction.

We must protect our children from these perilous times and most importantly, we must not join the hoodlums and perpetrators of these evils.

On March 9, a 22-year-old Shakirat went missing in Iwo Town of Osun state, unfortunately, her lifeless body was found the next day.

Ochanya Ogbanje’s case is there, raped by Andrew Ogbuja, a senior lecturer at the Benue State Polytechnic, Ugbokolo, and his son who were supposed to protect her and be her guardian. She suffered health issues as a result of the continuous rape and later died. Up until now, the family of the innocent girl is still waiting and hoping to get justice.

Also, the family of the late Iniubong Umoren is yet to get justice. The last time the suspect, Uduak Akpan, was in court, he denied committing the crime, claiming that he was forced by the DSS to make the statement he made. What a ridiculous development. Obviously, justice is far from the case.

As a matter of fact, no justice can bring back the life of the dead. This condemnable act has become prevalent and is fast increasing in our society.

What about Sofiat Oke-Owo who was killed by four teenagers and her head cut off and burnt for money rituals in Abeokuta? Balogun Mustakeem, Majekodunmi Soliudeen, Abdulgafa Lukman, and Wariz Oladeinde are cooling their heels at the Oba Correctional Centre but Sofiat is gone, her destiny cut short, her future gone.

Most of these cases happened in 2022 and we are just in the first quarter of the year. This must stop. We must not continue to tolerate the death, rape, and disappearance of our beautiful daughters. We must not sit and fold our hands while evil men are taking advantage of our vulnerable leaders of tomorrow.

The police, DSS, and other security agencies must do beyond pursuing suspects after a crime has been committed, they must advance to a level where they can stop and prevent a crime on the scene. Perpetrators must not get away with murder, rape, or kidnapping any longer.

Our daughters must also know that they have a major role to play in keeping themselves safe at all times. You must inform somebody about your whereabouts at all times. If Bamise had not informed her friend about the situation she was experiencing, Andrew Nice will continue with the next victim, and the next, and the next, just as he has been doing before meeting his waterloo. Though she is no more, she has put an end to Nice’s criminal history of rape, and also opened the eyes of many who are willing to take their safety seriously.

Parents have a major role to play by keeping an eye on their children and ensuring they know about their children’s whereabouts, especially the ones in their 20s and below. No monitoring is too much as regards their safety. It is time to wake up, take our safety seriously, and collectively put a stop to the criminal business of rape, kidnapping, money rituals, and murder.

Ojoko is a Nigerian journalist and can be reached via [email protected]