By Johnson Dike
Mrs Julie Okah-Donli, Director-General, National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has warned Nigerians to abstain from justifying the act of rape or get arrested.
She also blamed part of the problem on parents as they fail to bring up their children properly stating that 90% of the cases were committed by uncles, fathers, and relations.
Speaking to Journalist in Abuja, she said NAPTIP would approach the Ministry of Justice to push for the establishment of a special court to try rapists and called for life imprisonment for convicted rapists and a need to educate Nigerians on rape cases.
She stated, “In the last one month, Nigeria has witnessed growing incidences of rape recorded across all parts of the country. Every day, we wake up to the news of another girl, woman, or child raped, battered, or killed in the process.
“This has equally triggered all manners of responses from Nigerians to the extent that some make jokes out of it.
“Some persons unashamedly blame the victims for adorning themselves in provocative and revealing materials and some have actually displayed annoying insensitivity by posting such things in social media trying to explain away a crime. Rape is a crime; it is violence against persons.”
The NAPTIP boss said cases could be reported on the agency’s phone lines and social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram as the agency has developed procedural responses to rape victims and families.