Have you noticed how we can hardly go through a day without receiving at least one news report about rape?

Weeks ago, it was the case of a 14-year-old girl raped to death by miscreants in the Abule Ado area of Lagos and that’s one of the thousands of cases that occur on a daily basis in Lagos and the rest of the country.

Just last week, a 40-year-old man Muhammad Usman was paraded by the Borno State Police Command for allegedly defiling a ten-year-old girl in Maiduguri the capital of Borno state. The case was brought to public notice on the 3rd of August 2017 by the state commissioner of Police Mr Damian Chukwu. The commissioner said the suspect was arrested on June 10 at about 14: 30 p.m.

“The suspect has confessed to the act. He has told investigators that he had carnal knowledge of the girl at the Londonciki area of Maiduguri,” he said.

These cases have become almost usual occurrences and to say that action needs to be taken fast, is putting it lightly. There is alarming rise in rape cases in Nigeria and we, the government and citizens alike, need to stem the tide. At the initial stage, rape was a shameful and non-consensual sex involving adults but recently, the trend has shifted to the rape of minors. Child rapists are everywhere – North, South, East and West irrespective of culture and religious inclination.

Daily we read of stories of a 50-year-old old man that raped a 6-year-old, 45-year-old man that raped a 10-year old including a 40-year-old old man that allegedly raped a 6month old baby. The society may never be able to figure out what now attracts older men to minors.

Regardless of what that may be, rape is a crime and rapists are cowards and criminals who should be locked up and made to face the full weight of the law. The case of Muhammad Usman must not be swept under the carpet as we will continue to monitor it until justice is done. The ten-year-old old girl has received a scar she will live with for the rest of her life and as a result commensurate punishment in accordance with the laws of the land must be given to Muhammed Usman to serve as a deterrent to others.

The Borno state ministry of justice is also advised to do the needful by prosecuting the alleged rapist promptly.

Until justice is done in the case of the girl, we will continue to re-echo it for all to know that rape is a heinous crime that needs to stop.

Editor