Inside Plateau Communities Where Incest Rages; Survivors Rebuff Justice, Groan in Silence The crime of rape involving close family members, mostly minors, has persisted unhindered in Plateau State. The insensitivity of government and refusa
The crime of rape involving close family members, mostly minors, has persisted unhindered in Plateau State. The insensitivity of government and refusal of survivors to take the laws on have continued to embolden perpetrators, leaving survivors traumatised,Sixteen-year-old Joy looks like a new person, full of life and vibrancy, after returning from CLEEN Foundation, a shelter where she got some therapies.
“He used to tell me he was teaching me sex education and warned me never to tell anyone. He said he would deny it if I told anyone,” Joy sadly recounted. She said: “My first abortion was done by a chemist around government house in Shinco. I was given a drug and injection. The other two were carried out at home by the same chemist.”Despite threat by her father, who is a veterinary doctor, Joy decided to share her plight with a classmate. According to her, she told her friend because she was tired of the abuse.
At the ministry, Mary said she met with the Principal State Counsel, Mrs. Lohya Ibrahim Lakai, who transferred the case to Anglo Police Station in Jos. This was in 2021. Lakai said it was evident Mary was raped, adding that threats from Francis might have discouraged both the abused and mother from pursuing the case.
But Oyewole told our reporter that Mary called when she was on leave and she directed her to call the Divisional Crime Officer which she never did. Section 214 of the Criminal Code Act, Caption 77, Law of the Federation of Nigeria prescribes a minimum of 14 years imprisonment for those found guilty of incestuous liaison, while Section 31 of The CRA Part 111, prescribes possible life imprisonment for an adult or culprit who is found guilty of rape against a child, which Joy is.
The study revealed that incest is the most perpetrated violence against women and girls in Plateau State. According to Plateau State Chapter of National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Person Trafficking in Persons , four out of 10 girls are raped by their fathers while seven out of 10 girls are defiled by siblings in the state.
PAAAVARF is an that handles issue of this kind in Plateau. Muna, 16, in a voice record made available to this reporter claimed to have been raped repeatedly by her disabled father. Abara said: “We decided not to inform any of her family members for safety reason and also to aid investigation and prosecution. Her mother later came begging to know her daughter’s hideout. We were initially reluctant, but she assured us of maximum cooperation. Unfortunately, the tune changed after the mother had access to her. Muna suddenly turned her back, saying she no longer wanted to institute a case against her father. She requested to be reunited with her family and that was all.
Nigeria’s Minister of Women Affairs, Pauline Tallen described incest as the worst form of sexual violence. The study revealed that incest rape is more common than other types of rape in the six communities sampled, namely: Mista Ali, Fobur, Yelwa, Mabudi, Miango, and Zagun. In the same vein, Plateau State branch of International Federation of Women Lawyers and the National Human Rights Commission , admitted to incidence, adding that survivors have been uncooperative.Zainab, 14, refused to utter a word despite efforts to get her to talk. She feigned a concentration on her frail-looking three-year-old child playing with dust in their untarred compound.
Our reporter learnt that Zainab has since dropped out of school to nurture her baby, while Ismail has advanced to tertiary institution.A Clinical Psychologist at Jos University Teaching Hospital, Margaret Akogun, said cases like that of Zainab may take eternity to heal without appropriate therapy. The source said they traced Hajia to her house in Jos North, but she had already vacated the building. Our reporter learnt that Aisha’s parent relocated to an unknown destination just to avoid justice.
Agada on his part said of the 16 cases with NAPTIP, only three turned out for justice. “The rest didn’t turn up. Some of them disappear to an obscure village,” he lamented. But according to the Project Director of Vision Spring Initiative, Ngozi Nwosu-Juba, survivors rebuff justice not because they do not want it, but that they lack confidence in the system, especially the judiciary.
Like in the case of Aisha where justice was swapped for N3millon, Abara blamed poverty. Moreso, myth and traditions. When contacted, the state’s Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Rebecca Sambo said: “I don’t have any case of that kind on my table.”A recent poll by Thompson Reuters Foundation ranked Nigeria as the third most dangerous country for women in Africa and ninth worldwide. Some identified risk factors in the poll included sexual violence, sexual exploitation and traditional practices among others.
Principal State Counsel of the Ministry, Mrs Lohya Ibrahim Lakai however said three cases are pending in court out of 5 cases presented to the Ministry between 2018-2022. Abara said eight out of 10 incest cases in court are withdrawn by defendant.
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