WHO'S NEXT?

I am hurt.

I am grieving.

Most of all, I’m scared.

Who is it going to be next? Me? You? My sister? Your sister?

I’m writing this with bitter urgency. I need to get this weight off my chest.

Sometime ago, the Minister for Women Affairs, Dame Pauline Tallen revealed that we have over 2million rape cases occurring every year in Nigeria. 

Perhaps that doesn’t slap hard until you realize that mathematically, that results in about 5,480 cases every day. EVERY DAY. Only a few – maybe 2% of this number – are reported and only fewer still make it to public limelight.

Simply put, rape is any non-consensual sexual penetration. 

When it boils down to the actual causes of this dastardly act, it is very easy to just point accusing fingers at the opposite sex as being the cause of rape.

From late-night visitations, excessive flirtation, skimpy dresses and staying out late, some menfolk have claimed that women, by exhibiting these attributes, are the cause of their own rape. 

However, in light of recent realities, this argument is as bereft of sense as Arsenal is bereft of Champions League trophies. 

Little girls as young as 10/11 years of age are getting raped and some of our Muslim sisters – some with their hijabs on-  have also been victims of this act. The list goes on and on.

Some women, on their own part, have labeled the menfolk as the cause of rape citing lack of self-control, feeling of entitlement, revenge motives, excess libido and higher physical strength.

This finger-pointing from one gender to another has lingered on for a very long time. It has taken us nowhere. 

Enough is enough. 

The actual enemy is out there, sipping champagne, singing “Every night, I lie in bed”, watching The Greatest Showman and laughing at the rest of us. We first have to discover who/what that enemy is so we can tackle this menace accordingly. 

What are the Actual Causes of Rape?

In my humble opinion (you are entitled to yours too), there are 2 primary causes of rape – psychological factors and governmental/societal inefficiency.

Firstly, no sane person would go through the inhumane process of raping another. I don’t get. At the sound and sight of the lady (or child) begging, kicking, screaming and crying, shouldn’t your penile organ fall like the Nigeria naira? 

What sort of pleasure can you derive from an unwilling partner – for devil’s sake? For you to continue and forcefully penetrate through the vagina, anus or mouth and still attain orgasm from this dastardly act is a pointer that something is wrong upstairs. A person doesn’t have to run naked on the streets before we agree that such person isn’t mentally okay.

 Like the saying goes – many are mad, only few are roaming.

Secondly, in recent times, governmental inefficiency has multiplied as though its in a financial competition with Jeff Bezos. 

We live in societies where one can sexually abuse his/her neighbor and manage to go scot-free. 

The governor (if it’s a serious and public case) will order an investigation and say the “perpetrators would be brought to justice”. The IGP, the Commissioner of Police would also release statements along the line of “the Police is committed to locating the criminals and making them face the full force of mkodjdjhg”. We all know the shebang. 

3 months down the line, what has - actually – been done? NOTHING. The case would slowly be buried like Abba Kyari (rest his soul). 

As for our societies, the story is the same. 

We hear of rape cases and the reaction is “ehya, ewoo, this is bad…”, trend it as social media hashtags for 3 days, rain curses on the perpetrators (who have still not been caught, might I add), curse their families and their corpses (“them no go die well”), thank God it wasn't us, bad for a little while and then move right back to dancing Zanku. 

Shikena. Drive away from the situation like a Honda End of discussion.

It was Uwa yesterday. Who would it be tomorrow? We can only pray - maybe fast too – and hope that it wouldn’t be us or our loved ones tomorrow. Can't this msunery be tackled once and for all?

Perhaps we should go back to jungle justice. 

Comments and thoughts are highly welcome.

That being said, #JusticeForTina and #JusticeForUwa