Speaker of Nigeria’s House of Representatives wants genitals of convicted rapists chopped off

The Speaker of the House of Representatives Femi Gbajamiamila has advocated ‘chopping off genitals’ as severe punishment for rapists as a way of fighting the rising cases of rape and sexual violence in Nigeria.

Penpushing reports that, Gbajabiamila made the call on Wednesday while receiving a delegation of the Movement Against Rape and Sexual Violence (MARS-V) at the National Assembly in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT)

The Speaker, who described the rising rape in the country as a pandemic, declared that leaders and citizens must rise against rape, stressing that the society, including the media, has a role to play in the fight against the pandemic.

Penpushing further reports that, Gbajabiamila pointed out that the statistics on rape cases in Nigeria “is mind-boggling”, adding that Nigerians, especially those that hold religious views on rape, need adequate education and awareness against the rape pandemic.

“The statistics are very alarming on the issue of rape. You hear figures in terms of rape and gender-based violence that are mind-boggling. It’s only a deprived mind that can engage in rape. I consider the issue of rape as a pandemic. In my estimation, it’s a pandemic.

“The issue of rape should be treated the way corona (virus) is treated. How do we treat a pandemic? There has to be a frontal onslaught. The media has a role to play. It should be in the front line. There’s a lot of work to be done from different angles. In a pandemic, you look for cure. No sane man would have sexual intercourse with a 3-month old baby. The idea alone is sickening,” he said.

Penpushing reports that, Gbajabiamila urged men to show solidarity with women in the fight against the scourge, stating that, “whilst I see so many women here with you, this is a fight not just for women’.

‘I can see some few men too, but this is a fight for all. Let a subliminal message be sent that even though over 95 per cent of the victims are women, let it be that it’s we, the men, that are championing your course”

Penpushing further reports that, the speaker noted that  the Nigerian laws related to rape are weak, hence they would not deter people from engaging in the act, stressing that  he believed a lot of rape cases are not reported as victims feel ashamed to speak out.

The Speaker encouraged the movement to make a presentation in that regard to see what can be done as financial support in the 2021 budget to be presented to the National Assembly in September.

Penpushing also reports that, wife of the Kaduna State Governor, Aisha-Ummi El-Rufai, earlier drew the speaker’s attention to the rising cases of rape in the country, lamenting that it was becoming alarming and that urgent action needed to be taken.

The Governor’s wife  said the current trend is a situation where “our women are raped to death and butchered even in churches and mosques where God is worshipped’, explaining that, their  main reason for visiting the speaker was “to seek his help, ask questions, seek justice and challenge the status quo”.

Penpushing reports that, she  noted that statistics had shown that “717 reported rape cases and 7,170 unreported ones occurred in Nigeria within five months”, adding that, while over 7,000 lives have been brutalised, with some destroyed and others terminated, “perpetrators of such heinous acts are not brought to justice even as the laws appear to the lenient”.