The spate of gross misconduct and anti-social behaviours that include rape and paedophilia of the incestuous variant is festering at a worrisome rate in the face of the paucity of official attention. And the other major influencers of behaviour in the society such as parents, traditional and religious institutions seem to have gone to sleep. Hardly does a week pass without Nigerians reading about one or more cases of some irresponsible adults engaging in criminal and morally reprehensible acts of s3xual violation of minors, including infants. While the motives may be diverse, they sure are ignoble and constitute an inexplicable affront on the otherwise simple and enviable sociology of the Nigeria society. Evidence of perversion of values is rife on all fronts as the polity literally approaches the Hobbesian state of nature daily. This year alone, we have done about half a dozen editorials on issues around s3xual assaults on women and minors and that was even because of other compelling national issues competing for time and space. It is really pathetic.
Sadly again, just a few days ago, one Peter Aduda was arrested by operatives of the Lagos State command of the Nigeria Police for allegedly defiling his two-year-old daughter. Aduda, during his shameless and callous conduct, allegedly penetrated and infected the poor toddler with a s3xually transmitted disease. To think that anyone would defile his two-year-old daughter and infect her with a venereal disease! Apparently, Aduda is not only a pervert but also s3xually reckless and incontinent. Things like this are otherwise unusual in this clime but the society would appear to be in a season of anomie. The season would seem to have happened on everyone without any premonition but that may not be totally correct. The truth is that warning signs were largely ignored for no good reason.
Gradually, society is breaking down: moral restraint has taken flight and many a citizen’s version of values and morality has become dangerously questionable. Or how can anyone with a stable mind defile a two-year-old whether or not he has a filial relationship with her? And why is a society with time-tested traditional values breeding s3xual predators at such an alarming rate? Perhaps the seemingly bogus claim in some quarters that about a third of Nigeria’s population has one form of mental issue or the other is true after all. What is, nonetheless, obvious is that the legal treatment of cases of rape and related vices has yet to deter would-be perverts and that could be an indication of the inadequacies of the law, and more importantly, of the need for multifarious approaches to combating the social malady.
For the umpteenth time, we reiterate that legal and media handling of s3xual offences should be more painstaking. Prosecutors should do their jobs more diligently and charge offenders under the appropriate codes that attract maximum punishment that can truly serve the purpose of deterrence. The media, too, should go beyond the initial sensational coverage and follow through all cases of s3xual assault from investigation to conviction, ensuring adequate reportage. That way, would-be perverts will be further assured that there are consequences for their actions and no false sense of impunity will be created.
There is also the need to intensify advocacy for strong moral values and a paradigm shift in attitudes towards that which is socially acceptable. It is not out of place for relevant government agencies to take the lead in this regard. The National Orientation Agency (NOA) as well as the Ministry of Women Affairs at the federal and state levels may need to do radio jingles, television skits and place advertisements in the national dailies to sensitise people about the menace of s3xual assaults within the polity. Unless and until the monster is seen for what it is, a national disaster waiting to happen and treated as such, stakeholders will continue to go round in circles while s3xual predators will continue to have a field day. That should never be allowed to happen. The experiences of rape victims can be horrendous. They include but are not limited to physical torture and mental health issues that tend to last a lifetime, especially in a society that has no support system for victims.
Ultimately, the enduring solution to the cancerous challenge of s3xual violation, and indeed other vices, lies in a resurgence of a disciplined society where everyone goes back to basics and begins to do what is right at all times and not necessarily what is convenient.
