Rise of rape cases in Kano

The recent infamous sodomy case of Hassan Ibrahim Gwarzo Secondary School, Kano did not happen in a vacuum. Numerous similar other cases occurred and continue to but they are unfortunately seldom reported, for they did not affect the children of the affluents. Another horrendous, even more horrible, happening is the spate of rape cases of […]

The recent infamous sodomy case of Hassan Ibrahim Gwarzo Secondary School, Kano did not happen in a vacuum. Numerous similar other cases occurred and continue to but they are unfortunately seldom reported, for they did not affect the children of the affluents. Another horrendous, even more horrible, happening is the spate of rape cases of underage girls in the state. A doctor at Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital disclosed that in the hospital alone they, on almost daily basis, get more than ten rape cases of either boys or girls. I didn’t believe her story until when I heard that a boy in our neighbourhoods was sexually assaulted last night. And then the stories of similar cases emerged from here and there. What is our community turning into?
As reported on the Freedom Radio “Inda Ranka” program on February 7, a man raped his friend’s daughter after fetching her from their primary school. On another instance, a 65-year-old paedophile raped a 12-year-old girl. Again, a few days later, this time at Gwammaja quarters, a girl, 6, was raped, decapitated and dumped on the street. I was devastated, wallahi.
I grappled with the sinister story for the rest of the night till the almighty sleep surreptitiously snapped me. As I woke up today, the same begins to hunt me. I am out of words to say. It’s so sickening such things are happening in our midst.
A far more sickening shocker happened this week. A girl, 16, was waylaid by a gang of four rapists while seeing her friend’s boyfriend off at Kawo Maigari, Hotoro quarters. The latter and a friend later joined the assailants who are actually his friends and raped the innocent girl repeatedly. She’s now at the hospital battling for her life.
It’s heartrending that girls are becoming more vulnerable in our societies today. It’s more heartbreaking that people don’t seem to care much. We rather labour ourselves in criticising or defending politicians whom care little or not at all about us.
I wouldn’t get tired of telling parents to be more vigilant and more prayerful. It’s not all doomed. We really need to wake up. Parents and guardians ought to be very wary with regards to the movements of their daughters and wards.
India took a number of measures, including legislative ones to curtail dramatic rise in rape in the country. Nigeria should do the same to amend the constitution to apply a capital punishment to anybody found guilty of rape, or a very long sentence with hard labour for these animals.
Muhsin Ibrahim, Kano, [email protected]