20-Year-Old Boy Defiles Eight-Year-Old Girl, Sent to Jail

If I say I’m not tired of reporting rape cases in Nigeria, I would be telling a lie. Only yesterday (Thursday 13th October, 2011), I tried to link the unacceptable upsurge in rape cases in the country to the ‘decadents’ that is being celebrated in Nollywood, a situation where juveniles are exposed to ‘graphic’ sex acts through Nigerian movies. Some critics wanted to crucify me. And my question to such people was: 'To what do we ascribe these incessant cases of rape'? 

While I was considering how to discuss the recent case of a 70-year old man who took an eight (8) years old girl to a hotel room and forcefully had sex with her, yet another ugly incident was brought to my knowledge. This one also involves another eight year old. What exactly is happening? Are we in “raping season” in Nigeria? Please can someone tell me what the National Orientation Agency is doing about this ugly trend?

Continue to the read the latest rape case...

For sexually assaulting an eight-year-old girl, a Magistrate court sitting in Benin, capital of Edo State, on Thursday sentenced one Godday Owolo (20), to three years imprisonment with hard labour. The presided Magistrate, Rachel Ogbevoen, gave the ruling after Owolo pleaded guilty to the charges read to him.

The prosecutor, Joseph Ebosereme, had told the court that the convict committed the act on September 25, 2011, at No. 25 Lagos Street, Benin City. While complaining that cases of adults sexually “abusing little children is becoming rampant in the society”, the Presiding Magistrate called on the relevant authorities to “check the menace” before it gets out of control.

As a deterrent to others like Owolo, Presiding Magistrate Ogbevoen ordered that the rapist be put behind bars for three years without an option of fine... All things being equal, Owolo would have started eating beans in prisons.