Opinion: The ‘ABSU’ rape saga and the rest of us

by Tajomavwo Fejiro Joy

absu rape

However, while the tale was still awash on every lip, the society was the first pawn to be raised on this chess board. The evil act was proposed to have happened in the university of Abia state and by students of the same school .whether this be true everyone including the governor of the state condemned the students and their authority until the university authority came out to counter the accusation based on their records that the culprits are not and couldn’t have been students of the university.

Prologue

In the later months of the year 2011, a man with his colleagues at work stumbled on a rape video on the internet. While they watch in bitterness condemning the inhumane act one of them suddenly recognizing the screaming of the victim’s voice, not being certain, he decided to send the video to his phone for proper viewing. This he did partly hoping it was not what he was thinking. However, the more he watched, the more the voice and face became real. He was watching his wife being gang raped by four hefty men on the internet. He lost consciousness…….

After several confrontations, his wife decided to speak up, she was gang raped on her way to the house of her husband’s relatives, and four men among his relatives forcefully had their way with her threatening to take the life of her family if she dear mentions it to anybody. Out of the love and fear, she took the incidence with a pitch of salt and sealed her lips knowing fully well that she was two months pregnant.

Agitated and thrown off balance, being the last to find out what horror the wife was going through, he reported the case to the police. Later on, he realized that the case had long been swept under the carpet and suspected culprits had already been released.

This is the story of the rape victim in Rivers, who was mistakenly known as the ABSU rape story. The victim and her six month old child were recently diagnosed of HIV: a fall-out of the rape. Justice is yet to be served.

 

WHAT WENT WRONG

Too often in life, as individuals and society, we are faced with situations beyond our emotional and intellectual control, not only does our strength fail us, the society deprives us the opportunity to stand and fight. If this is as a result of the corruption that has perpetually built a home in our hearts, the gods are yet to reveal. However, we as a people are not oblivious of the precipitous increase of man’s inhumanity to man.

In the years when the internet is promptly replacing the parental restriction on television ,our youths aping every virtue and vice viewed on international stations not taken to cognizance its impending doom, we must come as a people and allow truth to prevail.

In the year 2011, Rivers state, Hades took over the heart of mere mortals and hell was let loose. While Nigerians were trying to relish and accept the breath of fresh air of a new era, a video of a lady who was ganged raped went on air, and repulsed the psyche of the entire populace, it became news for a reasonable amount of weeks .Authorities were called to investigate the matter and suspected culprits were arrested and tried in the magistrate court, however the court came out to say that such serious case was beyond their jurisdiction. How be it, they went ahead and released the suspects on grounds that is yet unknown.

However, while the tale was still awash on every lip, the society was the first pawn to be raised on this chess board. The evil act was proposed to have happened at Abia State University and by students of the same school. Everyone including the governor of the state condemned the students and their authority until the university authority came out to counter the accusation based on their records that the culprits are not and couldn’t have been students of the university.

Next came the government and the police in their uninterrupted act of deception saying “we will find the culprits and justice will be done”…. well if justice doesn’t get to happen they should remember Karma gets you served as promptly as possible. One year down the line the police released the culprits , transferring the case to the department of public prosecution .In the midst of the saga reports came in that concrete evidence such as photographs suddenly grew wings and found the office of the DPP inhabitable,  worry shifted from serving justice to ultimate searching exhibits.

Be this as it may, one apparent factor in this gothic drama is that we including the society, the government, police and the media have trivialized an intricate matter such as this. The university unblamably were quick to wash their hands off such ridicule, the government however were trying hard to dissociate themselves from such amorality forgetting that within this drama is a victim whose senses have been charred, whose mouth have become numb to speak and who’s heart too fearful to fight, we as a society have ignored the victim and victories the perpetrators of this inglorious act.

 

Epilogue

The geographical milieu a person finds himself to a large extent contributes to the individual’s eventual makeup, we are all a product of our social construct, although we live under the constant suppression from our rulers, however this should not turn us into brutes, rape victims are individuals too but only they are unfortunate. The media has its relevant virtues so does it have its vices, the internet as a media should be used properly and for beneficial reasons.

Rape as trivial as it has suddenly become in our environment does more harm to an individual than any one can imagine, culprits or suspected culprits of such brutality should be given deserved punishment. Authorities in charge of protecting lives and properties should note that more than often victims never get over the ordeal, thus their only compensation is to see that justice is served. He that must come to equity must come with clean hands each and every one of us has a part to play as regard misinformation, dehumanization and injustice.

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Op-ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija.

Comments (2)

  1. A Job well done ma!
    This inhumane act is becoming a mental epidemic.Both the victim and the rapist face a traumatic thereafter.There is evidently no satisfaction derived in inflicting this pain,so the person always wants a better game.Like alcohol whereby some just drink,others are known as addicts,there are different levels of rape so to say.Even husbands forcefully have sex with their wives,some fathers their daughters,etc.Then there are some for whom it’s become a hobby,it’s affected their mind so badly that they keep tabs of their “achievements” and aim higher at getting down with everything they see in skirt.
    Everyone has a role to play.Maybe a more intense verdict should be given to those accused,parents,religious groups and counsellors should also see to a more deliberate effort in helping these people and the society should be more receptible to the victims and not make them feel as though they deserved it regardless of what history they have.

  2. Good work girl……………….Nigeria needs to stand for justice and not let corruption destroy us

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