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The Shocking Rise Of Paedophilia In Nigeria

Paedophiles In Nigeria

January 24, 2017 – The Shocking Rise Of Paedophiles In Nigeria

An Article By Tony Ogunlowo

Hardly a day goes by when there isn’t a news report about a minor being sexually abused by a much older person. And the shocking thing is that for every case reported dozens are not because the young victims are either too scared of their attackers or embarrassed to talk to anyone. And it’s so bad now that it’s rising to epidemic levels and soon Nigeria will be overtaking Cambodia and the Far East as the paedophile hotspot of the world!

Currently the law stipulates life imprisonment for rape of a minor under the new Sexual Offences Bill but the law doesn’t deal with those who marry under-age girls to circumvent the law. Whilst it is a horrendous crime to rape anyone it’s even worse when the victim is a child and the perpetrator can get away with it by either marrying their victim or shutting them up. Most paedophiles get away with their crimes because they are much older and can intimidate or brainwash their victims. And most of the time the perpetrators of these crimes are people known to the victims as fathers, brothers, neighbours, uncles, in-laws etc.

Disturbingly, families are prepared to put up a wall of silence and pretend as if nothing is going wrong if there is a case of incest or paedophilia going on in their household. They all keep quiet, hoping it blow over, in an attempt to preserve their dignity often threatening the victim to remain quiet and not dealing with the perpetrator.

Some tribes even encourage paedophilia by marrying off their under-age daughters to men old enough to be their grandfathers. And over the years no government policy or law has been put in place to outlaw this practice until recently and it’s still not enforced. Our society needs to shape up; it’s not okay for a 50-year old to be seen walking down the road with his new under-age wife. It doesn’t matter if he’s the richest man in Nigeria, an Oba or Emir. It’s morally wrong and the person belongs in jail! And for those who disagree or hide behind the flimsy excuse of ‘it’s our tradition’, how would you feel if your under-age son or daughter was being sexually abused by a 50-year old? Some men even think it’s ‘cool’ to sleep with an under-age child. It’s not and anybody who sleeps with an under-aged child, whether it’s consensual or not, is a paedophile. On a sadder note thirty-five Nigerian Senators actually voted, recently, for the legalization of child marriage! And the Senators in question all happen to be from the North and Muslims! Somebody ought to tell them we live in the 21st century now and such barbaric acts are not tolerable despite what the Koran says about marriage.

There are those who would like to argue that paedophilia is a disease. It’s not! It’s just a lame excuse given by depraved men to explain away their sick sexual cravings. How else would a certain Northern Senator explain spending $10,000 to ‘buy’ a 13-year old ‘bride’ from Eygpt?

Our first duty should be to the children at risk. Everybody knows who these children at risk are and who they’re at risk from. Instead of minding our own business and turning a blind eye, ignoring the plight of the victim we should stand up to these people and report them to the authorities.

There should be more awareness so people can know what signs to look for if they believe a child is being groomed or abused, for example that ‘nice’ uncle who is always ‘touching’ his young niece and buying her presents is a potential suspect. Parents should learn how to be closer to their children; if you’re too distant to your child there will be things they won’t tell you, like most kids hold things back, and it’s your duty as a parent to sense when things are amiss. Children, just like anybody else, need a shoulder to cry upon and somebody they can talk about anything with. Be that parent they can come to.

Any rape victim, child or adult, doesn’t just carry the physical scars of their attack, which can include contacting a venereal disease or HIV, but emotional scars which are even harder to heal. They can suffer from post-traumatic stress for the rest of their lives. Overwhelmed by it can lead to depression and many have been driven to take their own lives.

We all know the Nigerian Police Force is not equipped to deal with child-rape cases (- or any case really!) and will probably tell the victim’s parents to sort it out themselves, calling it a family or personal matter. This is not good enough but the good news is that we live in the internet age and there are lots of avenues – social media – to shame them into taking action.

There are some organisations out there such as The Eight Foundation, Mirabel Centre and Women against Child Defilement who are not just helping victims of paedophiles but also offer advice and support. Unfortunately they are under-funded (- or not funded at all!) and there’s not enough of them.

Everybody needs to be vigilant. Child rape or paedophilia is not acceptable not just in this country but anywhere in the world.

[Follow me on Twitter: @Archangel641 or visit https://archangel641.blogspot.com ]

5 Comments

5 Comments

  1. SOBO

    January 25, 2017 at 1:09 AM

    AS BABA AND MAMA WE HAVE TO TAKE CARE OF OUR CHILDREN AND BE CAREFUL WHO LOOK AFTER THEM. NIGERIA IS TURNING TO YANKE AND EUROPE ALL THIS THING IS ALIEN BEFORE IN AFRICA BUT NOW ANYTHING GOES. OLORUN CHINEKE ALLAH WHERE IS UR FACE………..

  2. MAN D BEST

    January 25, 2017 at 7:40 AM

    CHANGING WORLD

  3. Jordan jonhson

    January 25, 2017 at 12:41 PM

    End times!! Be very vigilant and always aware of whom your with

  4. Gloria Ade-Akhani.

    January 31, 2017 at 12:35 PM

    Parents, especially mothers need to be close to their children and educate them on these things so they don’t fall victim.

  5. Pamela Akpobomoere Mohammed

    September 22, 2017 at 8:35 AM

    well done for this write up.
    about two days ago FIDA Bayelsa won victory over a peadophile

    here is is report:

    Bayelsa Court Jails Man For Defiling 4-Year-Old Girl And 5-Year-Old Boy

    A Chief Magistrate’s Court sitting in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, has sentenced a 40-year old man, identified only as Godbless, to eight years in prison for defiling two underage children: a five-year-old boy and a four-year-old girl.
    The court, presided over by Magistrate Utovie Spiff, jailed Godbless, an indigene of Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of the state on two counts of unlawful sexual intercourse with a four-year-old girl and unlawful carnal knowledge of a five-year-old boy.
    It was learnt that the International Federation of Women Lawyers took the case of Godbless to the police.
    The convicted paedophile, who was said to be in the habit of indecently assaulting little children, variously had anal and vaginal sex with his underage victims.
    It was also learnt that parents and guardians of the victims, on many occasions, forgave the man after receiving reports of his assaults on their children.
    But on September 15, the Chairperson of FIDA in Bayelsa State, Dise Ogbise-Erhisere, was contacted by a concerned neighbour who reported a new case of the man’s sexual assault to her.
    Ogbise-Erhisere, in company with two lawyers and members of FIDA, Boma Miebai and Amaso Daniel, reportedly lodged a formal complaint at the Ekeki Police Station in Yenagoa.
    The police were said to have arrested the man, arraigned him on Tuesday before the court, where he pleaded ‘guilty’ to the the two counts.
    Expressing delight over the judgment, Ogbise-Erhisere said it was victory for FIDA Bayelsa and a warning to paedophiles, children molesters and abusers.
    Ogbise-Erhisere, who was also the complainant in the matter, said she was happy with the speedy dispensation of justice on the case.
    She explained that she got a distress call from a concerned neighbour following the defilement of the unnamed boy.
    “I was informed by neighbours that the convict is a serial molester of children and that the mother of the four-year-old girl caught him having sex with her daughter,” she said.
    She commended the police for swiftly arresting and arraigning Godbless. She also lauded the members of the Medical Women Association of Nigeria, Bayelsa chapter, for their roles in treating the victims.

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