The Kaduna State Governor’s wife, Hajia Ummi el-Rufai has taken her campaign against rape to Turunku, which is the ancestral home of the legendary Queen Amina in Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna state.
El-Rufai’s wife used the opportunity to address and educate children on the tricks to identify a potential rapist and how to raise alarm if any comes to them.
The Governor’s wife appealed to traditional, religious and other community leaders to stop protecting rapists at the detriment of the victim. She added that the ungodly practice of sweeping rape cases under the carpet, in the name of protecting the dignity of the victims must be stopped.
Ummi said the cases of rape, especially that of minors had assumed an alarming rate in Kaduna state, and that the crime had continued because the perpetrators had so far been enjoying protection from community leaders.
She said, “We are here in continuation of our campaign against rape, to meet you the community leaders, traditional, religious leaders, social mobilizers, youth and community influencers, to help us in this fight.
“We are here to put a structure in place through which report can be made of rape cases. We also want you to help in fighting the menace within the community by being the police of your communities.
“We are not encouraging you to beat up a suspected rapist, but help arrest such persons and reach out to the authorities.”
“We also want you to help us stop the victimization of the victims of rape. It is the perpetrators of the crime that deserve to be shamed not protected.
“We have often heard of instances where community leaders themselves are the ones protecting the rapists.
“We are here to tell you to stop that, because if we continue to pardon the rapists just because they are our neighbors, families or even because we want to protect the dignity of the victim so that the victim would get somebody to marry them in future, then the rapists will not stop, they will always look for the next victims after being pardoned.”
