On July 20th 2014, When news had it that one Liberian, Patrick Sawyer collapsed at Ikeja International Airport Lagos and later that day, he was diagnosed at a specialist Hospital in Obalende (Lagos Island) to be infected with the deadly Ebola Virus, fear gripped Lagosians andNigerian as a whole. We had enough troubles already; the insurgency in most of our Northern states: the facing economic challenges of the nation among others, so Nigerians understand that they cannot afford, as a nation, to have one more problem to combat, especially one like anEbola viral pandemic. While I watched the breaking new on television that day, I said to myselfwith suspended hope, “this one, just like HIV and every other one, will come and go or better still become what we have to live with.” But who are those saying Nigeria is weak in dealing with her challenges? Who are those saying; Nigeria cannot be at her best in fighting what she does not want? Nigeria; both at the federal and state level, did fight Ebola to a stand-still.Quarantine centres were set up in the outskirts of some major cities in the country, and combating health facilities were put in place in most states’ and federal hospitals to curtail this virus; capable of wiping out the entire national population. Every sector of the countries was involved in this fight; NGO’s, schools, religious centres, media houses, financial institutions, the arm forces and every family. We saw Ebola as a national, state, local, family and individual enemy, and we all fought against it, regardless of our religious beliefs, ethnicity or political affiliations.
But, just like the seven churches in Asia; as reported in the book of Revelation in the Bible, I have yet something, yes, just one thing, against this country.” Not the leaders; politicians and the Elites alone, this time, but against everyone living in here. Where are the nerves and the positive adrenaline that spur us into action against Ebola? Where is the national unity and coercion that won us the certificate of An Ebola Free Nation, from WHO on October 20th 2014 (just less than four months after)? Why have Nigerians gone to sleep with fire on their roofs? Why do we allow a virus deadlier than HIV, LASSA and EBOLA live among us this long? On paper and television, we condemn it, but in attitude, we are creating a favourable condition and machinery for it to thrive and replicate. Pedophilia; sexual assault on prepubescent children (Children below puberty age; less than 11 years old), is the social virus that has been battling harder than ever with this country in the last four years, and nothing concrete is done against it.According to the Encyclopedia of Sexual disorder, “It may be directed toward children of the same sex or children of the other sex. Some pedophiles are attracted to both boys and girls. Some are attracted only to children, while others are attracted to adults as well as to children.”
It is no more a sane question for anyone to ask if pedophilia is happening around us, because there is hardly a week that cases in that line are not reported on media.
On The Punch of September 3, 2015, there was a case of a 34-year-old factory worker, Mohammed Ahmed, who admitted raping his daughter six times. Four days after, the same newspaper reported another case of a 41-year-old father, Emeka Igwe of Federal Housing Estate, Meiran, Ojokoro, Lagos State who has also been raping his seven year old daughter and has gotten her addicted to masturbation. These few examples out of numerous others that I cited areto help you remove the doubt on the prevalence of this devastatingly trendy sexual atrocity. I know there are thousands of sexual assaults on kids going on each week in different parts of this country, that the victims do not have courage or know the best platform to report or fight. The usual old unjustifiable argument that most of those that were raped at one time or the other were persons that are fond of wearing indecent and provocative clothes, or were those always found in odd places, are no more tenable, as pedophiles sexually assault or rape innocent kids, not grown-ups. In fact, Josephine Effah-Chukwuma, Executive Director, Project Alert, an organisation that addresses domestic violence, including rape and based in Lagos, recently said that “70 percent of reported rape cases in Nigeria today involve young people and children of ages 17 to zero.”
I surely agree with Mrs Josephine. The stories of how kids are defiled get to us every day, week and almost every time we pick up a newspaper. All these madness are going on in differentparts of the country at the same time. No place is safe anymore for kids, be it private homes, extended families’ and family-friends’ residents, schools, church or mosque. Pedophiles or persons with psycho-sexual disorder of getting attracted to kids are now everywhere. Some “daddies”, “grandpa”, “nannies”, “uncles”, “spiritual fathers”, “man-friends” and some “teachers” are pedophiles. If you think all these are mere play on words or hyperbolic statements, you will have to think twice. Didn’t you read on the media; how a 40-year-old motorcyclist named Uche Imo was arrested by the Lagos State Police Command for allegedly raping a 13-year-old girl. What of the one that happened in Bwari area of the Federal Capital Territory, about one Monday Goodwill who was arrested for defiling a 3 year-old girl. If you did not read about that, then what about the 60 year-old Akinduro; a private hostel owner who was apprehended by the police for raping a 12 year-old female student of the Mayflower School who was staying in his hostel. Also, in Taraba State, 27-year-old Williams Julius forcefully had intercourse with a five-year old kid. It is happening in the north and south, the same way it is happening in the East and west. If you think, it is all as a result of the carelessness of the parent- leaving their kids in the care of strangers, then, you might not be so right because even some parents assault their own ward. In Delta State the police arrested a 46 year old man, Morris Ndidwe for allegedly defiling his own 11 year-old daughter. In Lagos, a 35 year-old Harrison Agu was arraigned before an Ikeja Chief Magistrate court over an assault on his six year-old daughter. This list is almost endless.
It is worrisome and shameful that Mrs josephine’s ugly statics is not contributed by the so called “unbelievers” alone, even from the so called “holy of holies” and by the so called spiritual leaders. How do I mean, In November 2015, one 46 year-old Pastor Ifeanyi Bernard was alleged and arrested for raping a 13 year-old girl in Nassarawa state. Another 40-year-old Pastor Abraham Akpan, was on September, 2015 charged before a Lagos Magistrate Court in Lagos for defiling a 16 year-old girl while conducting deliverance prayer on her. 55-year old Pastor Jacob Ojomo was arrested in Ondo state for taking advantage of a 15 year-old girl. I just have to stop here because I can go on with this cases or allegations for the next hundred pages, but for time.
The purpose of this write-up is not to educate you on the moral decadences in the society; as majority are no more ignorant of these, but to nip this devastating sexual appetite in the bud before Nigeria becomes the 21st century Sodom and Gomorrah.
WHAT ROLE ARE WE TO PLAY?
I don’t have to tell the government and different sectors or ministries what to do, because they know what to do, if they really want this menace out like every other one they had fought in time past. But I really need to talk to parents, since they are the closest to their kids or wards.
…AS A PARENT OR GUARDIAN
A social commentator, Jide Ojo, simply put it this way, “It goes beyond telling your children to keep off strangers. In many cases, it is those close to the child who would take advantage of the close relationship to penetrate the child’s defences which have been tuned to warding off strangers. You need to constantly engage your wards in seemingly light conversations and learn to sieve for information. A note of caution is not to over react without confirming and reconfirming facts. You can do this by asking them to describe the circumstances and surroundings when it happened, what they remember, what they wore, how they felt.”
He also opined further, “The most important trick however, is to teach your children about their private parts. There are five of these – the lips, the chest (nipples), their penis/vagina, their anus and their thighs. The lips have been included because disaster often starts with a kiss. ‘Kiss me if you like me’. The nipples and thighs have also been included because these are zones that are usually played with or passed through too”
Finally, to complement Ojo’s likely way-outs, be careful with and vigilant on those you leave your child with. As a parent, do know that your younger brother (your child’s uncle) or man-friend should be checkmated, though without ungodly suspicion, whenever he is alone withyour kid(s), because you do not know what he has been exposed to in recent times. Check theexcesses of those bachelors around you, on your kid(s). Remember, your child’s private teacher is not your family, even if he or she is; the negative appetite of pedophiles do blind them, if he or she is one. Lesson should be done in the open and if door will be shut, you must have another adult, if not yourself inside. Ask your kid(s) who is buying him or her gifts, and cleverly ask for what purpose and on what occasion, without painting a nice person, a devil. Check the pants and under wears of your kids when laundering. Father and step fathers that; you as woman haveobserved to have questionable sexual habits should be checked around your kids. If you observe anything pointing to defilement or assaults on your ward(s), seek counsel or report to the police and seek medical attention for that child immediate.
Above all, remember that the future of your child is more important than your social status- be available to them. Just few minutes with your kid or one question and a reply between you and your child, can save you several queries and quiz from the Police and the Media if “it” happened to your ward.
OBANUSO TOPE
Author of the book; Undercover
REFERENCES
Articles: Nigeria's soaring cases of paedophilia: by Jide Ojo, Executive Director of OJA development Consult, Abuja.
