The first official reaction at the federal level has come from the Minister of Youth Development, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, who on Sunday described the rape as despicable and immoral.
A statement by the Minister’s spokesman for media, Julius Ogunro, said, “In the video, the young woman was threatened, rough handled, and sexually exploited by the men, who are said to be cultists. To make matters worse, this despicable and wicked act was recorded and circulated by the alleged rapists, who blurred their own faces. This behavior has rightly caused outrage among young Nigerians, parents and all those who have seen the video recording.
“The Honourable Minister views the behavior of the perpetrators as decadent and barbaric; and believes the attitude of these men, if indeed they are young Nigerians, does not represent the character and nature of the Nigerian Youth.
“Mallam Abdullahi therefore calls on the University authorities and relevant security agencies to step up action to ensure that the heartless and wicked perpetrators are arrested and prosecuted. He has also promised to help rehabilitate the young victim if she would make herself available to the Ministry.
“The Honourable Minister calls on Nigerian Youth to remain focused and positive-minded, disclosing that his Ministry will soon begin to implement programmes that will address their concerns.”
What the law says
It was alleged the victim insulted one of the unidentified males who decided to teach her a lesson she would never forget.
According to the rape video, which lasted well over an hour, the girl initially tried to fight them off but when it seemed hopeless, amidst slaps, beatings, and even threats to kill her, she gave in. She started begging and pleading, and after her pleas fell on deaf ears, she begged them to kill her as she could not take the pain anymore.
And in between screams of pain the boys laughing, mocked her and she was told to co-operate or undergo two more days of torture.
Rape in ABSU has been a steady occurence as most cases are not reported because most feel it is better to keep quiet than to face the stigmatisation. According to the Penal Code (Nigerian Laws Cap 89), applicable in the north of Nigeria, defines rape as "a man is said to commit rape who, save in the case referred to in subsection (2), has sexual intercourse with a woman in any of the following circumstances - against her will; without her consent; with her consent, when her consent has been obtained by putting her in fear of death or hurt; with her consent."
Under the Criminal Code Act section 358, any person who commits the offence of rape is liable to imprisonment for life, with or without caning. Section 359 says any person who attempts to commit the offence of rape is guilty of a felony, and is liable to imprisonment for fourteen years, with or without caning.
With over 1,356,662 downloads of the ABSU rape video on just one social network, #nowtrending on twitter and millions of views of facebook, the attitude of the general society also helps to criticise rape victims directly and indirectly. The effect of rape on impressionable girls has been seen compared to armed robbery. Many rape victims have attempted suicide or killed themselves to escape societal judgement.
In the video, the girl’s face is clearly seen but the faces of the 5 boys remain blurred. Rather you could specifically hear them speak Igbo and English, call at each other. One of the students identified as Wisdom said; "Wisdom done dey talk now." There was the mention of another name Chisom, Zaki, Uchenna. Zaki bragged "do you know who Zaki is?" While the victim begged Uchenna to stop as he was raping her. The 5th member's name is not yet certain, but sounded like Ifeanyi or Ugbaanyi. One of them identified himself as a 400 level law student, while another an IT student, and another had a car.
Whether an act of rape is reported or not, whether its victim gets justice in court or not, the fact is that its consequences on the sufferer are enormous. These include trauma, inferiority complex and health hazards. Many rape victims have had their future destroyed, especially those emotionally weak or those lacking counselling.
The Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women (DEVAW), Women's Aid Collective (WACOL), Legal defence and Assistance project (LEDAP), Women's Rights Advancement and Protection Alternative (WRAPA) are among organisations set up for women rights and principles with regard to equality, security, liberty, integrity and dignity of all human beings.
Meanwhile, the Governor of Abia State, Theodore Orji, has seen the video and plans to take it up today.
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