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The Shameful Abia State University Gang Rape: The CLO Position
Newsdiaryonline Fri Sep 30,2011
Gov Orji
The Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO) has
followed with keen interest the shameless, barbaric and
primitive act of gang rape perpetrated against yet to be known
student of Abia State University, Uturu, in Abia state on August
16, 2011. The story posted to the internet with the pictures of
three of the alleged gang-rapists, said the female student (name
not disclosed) was treated through very violent and torturous
ordeal before and after the gang rape. According to the story,
the girl’s offence /crime was her refusal to yield to previous
pressures by the criminal suspects to have an affair with them.
She was seriously battered and had pleaded
with the rapists to kill her rather than gang rape her because
of the stigma attached to rape issue in our society. But the
rapists rather mocked her and afterwards went ahead to commit
the criminal, dastardly act.
The internet story mentioned the alleged
rapists as Ifeanyi Justine Ogu, Jonah Uche, a final year student
of Accountancy who had spent five years for the four year
course, one Wisdom and another, notoriously called Zaki, who,
according to the story lives in Duberville Lodge at the
university.
At receipt of the ugly and sad news, CLO
commissioned its members in the state to conduct thorough
investigations on the matter to enable the organisation do a
detailed and factual story on the case. Meanwhile, the Abia
state government and the ABSU authorities have denied that the
crime was committed in its state and university.
However, in spite of these denials, the
civil society organisations, the National Assembly and other
patriotic Nigerians and groups have hugely condemned the wicked
act and called on both the security institutions and Federal
Government of Nigeria come to clinically investigate the matter
with a view to arrive at the truth of the allegation.
Following these nationwide condemnation,
the Police Authorities in Abia state said they have apprehended
a suspect but who is said to have denied being one of the
perpetrators. It will be recalled that the Police authorities
have, through their Public Relations Officer, Mr. Amore, queried
Nigerians for condemning the nefarious act.
The CLO is not worried by the Police query because most of the
rape cases, including those committed against minors were swept
under the carpet by the Police. Also, the police are the
greatest perpetrators of rape crimes in Nigeria. In Enugu, Enugu
state, two students of Enugu state University, ESUT, were
gang-raped by policemen. There has been cases of rape by police
officers in the country most of which were neither investigated
nor were the perpetrators punished.
Reports filed by our members from Abia
state, today, say the Abia state government, which hither-to,
had denied that the stupid act took place in its state, had
withdrawn its earlier statement. This withdrawal, the CLO notes,
confirms the allegation not only to be true but that it took
place in Abia state. It will be recalled that apart from
addressing a press conference on the issue by both the
government and ABSU authorities, a Representative of the Abia
government, was on Channels Television only yesterday denying
that the crime happened in their state and threatening wars
against the media and all those who, according to him, peddled
the rumour.
CLO’s POSITION.
CLO strongly condemns the Abia gang rape
and calls on the Federal Government to take the following urgent
actions in order to bring the perpetrators to book :-
.Ensure that the matter is fully
investigated and the culprits punished in accordance with the
laws of the land. This, we reason, will help in reducing
incidences of rape in the country.
.Conduct health audit of the victim to
ensure that she has not been infested with any deadly or
sexually transmitted diseases.
. Ensure that the victim’s identity is not
exposed in view of the stigma associated with such crime in our
society, And;
. That adequate compensations be paid to
the victim while she would be treated of the injuries inflicted
upon her by the criminals as well as any diseases she may have
contacted during the rape.
CLO maintains that it is imperative that the Federal
Government takes the aforementioned actions to discourage future
occurrences and in order to justify its accepted commitment to
the respect for women’s rights in accordance with the
Recommendations of the United Nations Human Rights Council
(UN-HRC).
Lastly, CLO calls on all well meaning
Nigerians, organisations and government to rise up in
condemnation of this evil act, and in monitoring the
investigation, prosecution and due implementation of
the would be court order on the case.
God bless Nigeria!
Ibuchukwu Ohabuenyi Ezike,
Executive Director.
Civil Liberties Organisation,
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