Another student raped, killed in Ibadan, Ekiti hawker defiled

• Amnesty asks Buhari to declare rape a national emergency
• Aisha, Atiku, Dabiri-Erewa, others react

Our Reporters

Less than a week after a 100-level student of the University of Benin, Uwaila Omozuwa, was raped and killed inside a church in Benin City, an 18-year-old student of the Federal College of Animal and Production Technology, Moore Plantation, Apata, Ibadan, Oyo State, has suffered the same fate.

The teenager, Barakat Bello, who was undertaking the National Diploma programme in Science Laboratory Technology, was reportedly attacked on Monday.

Also on Monday, three armed men allegedly gang-raped a 17-year-old street hawker at the Oja-Oba Market, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State.

It was gathered that the attack on Barakat took place at her home in the Akinyele area of Ibadan.

Initial reports had it that her corpse was found near the house.

The father of the deceased, Kasimu Elepo, told Sahara Reporters that he was not at home when the incident occurred.

He stated that the deceased’s sister was also out of the house when the tragic incident occurred.

According to him, the sister found Barakat’s body in a pool of her own blood at the back of the house when she returned from Quaranic lessons.

Elepo said, “I was not at home when the incident happened. The victim’s younger sister was not at home too; she went for Quaranic lessons, but when she returned home, she saw Barakat at the back of the house with deep cuts all over her body. She had been raped and killed.

“Somebody called me on the phone that I should come home, but he refused to tell me what happened. When I got home, I saw that my daughter had been raped and hacked to death.”

The Coordinator, National Association of Nigerian Students, Zone ‘D’, Samuel Olawale, demanded justice for the victim and said the rape of women must stop.

The deceased, who was a member of the Muslim Students Society of Nigeria, was buried on Tuesday according to Islamic rites.

The murder of the teenager has sparked protest on Twitter with the hashtag, #JusticeforBarakat.

A United Kingdom-based medical doctor, Harvey Olufunmilayo, said the rape epidemic must be brought to an end.

He tweeted, “Barakat Bello was alone at home when some men attacked her. She was raped and killed. This was in Ibadan yesterday. She was only 18. Barakat was at home. She is a Muslim hijabi sister. You mad people that come up with excuses for rape, what is the excuse this time?”

Another tweet by @mideglow read, “This is becoming too much!!! We are tired of burying our sisters and friends. We are tired of molestation and rape! Capital punishment should be meted to the perpetrators.”

@Utchay tweeted, “This is pure madness. I have lived and worked up North and when I see people saying that women get raped because of the way they dressed, I start to laugh.”

The Police Public Relations Officer, Oyo State Police Command, Olugbenga Fadeyi, told PUNCH Metro that although the incident was trending on the social media, he could not confirm it at the moment as it had not been reported to the police.

He expressed dissatisfaction with the failure of the deceased’s family to report the case for investigation by the police.

Fadeyi stated, “The story is trending; I have heard about it. I have got the link to the online report and I have read the story, but it is not in our crime diary.

“Efforts are being intensified to confirm the credibility of the report. At present, the Divisional Police Officers, Oluyole and Apata divisions, have been contacted, but we found out that the address that was quoted is not correct. When I called the DPOs and I inquired, the two of them said there was no such report in their records.

“It is very funny how some people are too much in a haste to post such things, even if it happened truly. I am not saying it happened because our records have not shown that. But, let’s assume it happened, the family is supposed to make an official report; that is another problem.”

For the Ado-Ekiti incident, PUNCH Metro gathered that the victim was hawking sachet water when the men, who were said to be armed with broken bottles, accosted her and took her to a corner in the market, where they forcefully had carnal knowledge of her around 7pm.

The victim was reportedly rushed to hospital for treatment after the incident.

When contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Sunday Abutu, said two suspects had been arrested, adding that efforts were on to apprehend the third member of the gang.

“The girl was hawking sachet water when the incident happened around 7pm on Monday. The suspects are friends; we have arrested two of them, while the third is still at large. Investigation is ongoing,” Abutu stated.

Declare rape national emergency – AI

Meanwhile, a global human rights organisation, Amnesty International, has called on the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), to declare rape a national crisis in the country.

Amnesty International Nigeria said on Wednesday that it joined its voice to other civil societies demanding justice for Uwaila and Barakat.

The AI Nigeria, in a series of tweets, noted that a “toxic culture that encourages men to see women as passive sex objects” must be discouraged.

The organisation tweeted, “The government’s response to rape continues to be woefully inadequate. Frequent reports of rape across Nigeria are a gruesome reminder of the violence women and girls face. Violence against women and girls is often not properly registered or investigated.

“The rape and murder of 18-year-old student, Barakat Bello, in Ibadan is shocking. Amnesty International is calling on the Nigerian authorities to declare a national crisis on rape. Women and girls’ safety must be paramount across Nigeria.