#Nigeria: Butcher, 27, Jailed for 4 Years for Raping Minor

An Upper Area Court in Mararaba, Nasarawa State, three days ago, sentenced a 27-year-old butcher, Mu’azu Lawali, to four years imprisonment for raping a minor.

The presiding officer, Vincent Gwehemba, did not give the convict an option of fine.

The convict, who lives in Angwan Ganda Masaka, was arraigned for having unlawful carnal knowledge of an 11-year-old girl.

The prosecutor, Inspector Joseph Ahua, told the court that the matter was reported by the victim’s parents at Masaka Police Station on October 4.

Ahua said the convict confessed to committing the offence, which contravened Section 283 of the Penal Code.

“Whoever has carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any man, woman or animal shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to 14 years and shall also be liable to fine,” the Penal Code reads.

The accused, however, pleaded guilty to the charge.

Culled from: News24 Nigeria

#Nigeria –– Alarming! Gombe Records 61 Rape Cases in 36 Months

The Programme Coordinator, Centre for Community Health and Development, Mrs Lucy Usein, said 61 rape cases had been recorded in Gombe State in the last three years.

Usein made this known at a news conference organised by a non-governmental organisation, Child Protection Network, in Gombe, on Tuesday.

She said 14 cases were reported to the organisation in 2011, 26 cases in 2012 and 21 cases so far in 2013.

“These are the only ones that are reported; there are many cases and because of fear of stigmatisation, parents do not like the matter to be treated in public,” she said.

Polls Reveals; #Nigerians Believe Rape is Caused by Indecent Dressing

So I was supposed to have posted this yesterday, but due to the large amount of articles I have (thanks to my beautiful readers who have been sending in articles), it's coming up today. *wink

A poll carried out revealed that a large amount of Nigerians believe the alarming rate of rape cases in the country is caused by girls indecent dressing.

Polls revealed:

“In order to commemorate this event and honour the girl child this special day, NOI Polls Limited released one of the polls we conducted in the first quarter of the year 2013, which was focused on the challenges faced by the girl child in Nigeria and indeed the world over as a result of the incidence of rape among women in the society. 34 percent of the participants believed that indecent dressing was the main cause of rape in the society; 18 percent believed unemployment was the cause; nine percent believed it was caused by lack of moral values and another nine percent believed it was caused by the inability to control sexual urges; seven percent said it was caused by faulty upbringing. Five percent of the participants believed rape was caused by illiteracy about women’s rights, ungodliness and bad company."

What do you guys think?

Culled from: Ok gist

#Nigeria Has a Rape Culture Too

Since I heard about the gang rape of a 23-year-old woman in Delhi,India has been on my mind. The woman was on her way home from the cinema with a male friend when they were attacked on a bus. Her injures were so severe the doctors had to remove parts of her intestine to stop the infection and try to save her life. Though she battled to stay alive, she died on 28 December. This incident has provoked a series of angry protests in Delhi and across India as men and women from various backgrounds, castes and religions hit the streets to demand safer living space for women. The fact that it is the first time in the history of India when people were out on the streets on the issue of gender signals an important paradigm shift on national discourse of sex, sexuality and rights of women.

The first time I read the story, I quickly shrugged it off to shield my consciousness from imagining what the victim went through. Yet, the savagery of the act, the use of a rusty metal rod to brutalise her insides, still haunts me. A lot has been written about this incident and anything worth saying has been said. However, I'm writing this in the Nigerian context and violation for the female body in mind. What would have happened if this incident happened in, say, Lagos or Abuja? Let me tell you what would happen. Nothing.

Rape: Muslim Lawyers in #Nigeria Raise Alarm

I'm glad we are not religion biased on this issue and we are all uniting to fight this menace –– rape –– in our society.

The Muslim Lawyers Association of Nigeria (MULAN) has expressed concern over the increasing wave of rape cases in Jigawa State, a situation the association said, needs to be tackled by authorities and other stakeholders.

The state chairman of the association, Gausu Ahmad, made the disclosure during a roundtable organized by the group at state secretariat, Dutse, recently.

He said at the moment, there were over 30 rape cases currently being prosecuted in courts throughout the state.

Gausu added that “there are about 12 pending investigation and legal advise; not to mention those that already been concluded successfully with convictions.”