Some aggrieved youths in Ibadan, Oyo State, under the aegis of the Akinyele Youth Forum, on Monday, demanded an end to rape and killings in the city, saying the perpetrators must not go unpunished.
The youth, during a peaceful rally in the metropolis, expressed worries over the spate of rape and killings, and the failure of security agencies to track down those behind the crime.
The protesters, who held a banner with the inscription, ‘Stop rape and murder in our society; an injustice to one is an injustice to all’, demanded the arrest and prosecution of the killers of Barakat Bello, Azeezat Shomuyiwa and Grace Oshiagwu.
The President of the group, Caleb Adedokun, while addressing journalists, said rapists and killers in the Akinyele Local Government Area of the state must not go unpunished.
He said, “We demand urgent action on sexual violence against women, especially our teenage girls, who were raped to death by some unidentified rapists in the Akinyele Local Government Area of Oyo State. Although sexual assault occurs worldwide, the spate of killings and rape of girls in the local government nowadays deserves the special and immediate attention of all stakeholders.
“It is worrisome and disturbing. While we are still mourning the loss of Barakat Bello, a student of the College of Agriculture in lbadan, who was killed in her home on June 1, 2020, in the Akinyele Local Government Area, the gruesome death of Miss Ezeugo James, a student of the Oke Ogun Polytechnic, also happened.
“One begins to ask questions on the circumstances surrounding the rape. Was it for money ritual or was it for sexual pleasure? The reason is best known to the perpetrators. It is totally barbaric and it means that the local government is not safe for girls.
“What are the security operatives doing? What impact is our political representatives in the Akinyele Local Government making and what is the result of the intervention of the religious leaders? We call on the local government administration, the police and other stakeholders to ensure speedy investigation and prosecution of the perpetrators.”
The Senior Pastor to the father of the 21-year-old Grace, Kayode Isola, expressed agony over her murder, saying the father, Pastor Benson Oshiagwu, was badly affected.
Isola said, “Her father was rushed to hospital. On Sunday at the hospital, he repeatedly asked after his daughter. Pastor Benson and I were together repairing roads in the neighbourhood when the incident happened. The girl and her younger sister were at home. We learnt that at a point, the younger sister went out.
“When she got back, she discovered that the door had been locked. We asked the elder brother to enter through the roof only to see her corpse.”
The President, Federation of Akinyele Students’ Unions, Olawale Oladoja, and a former Secretary-General, National Association of Nigerian Students, South-West Zone, Olanrewaju Oloja, who attributed the high rate of crime in the area to poor security architecture, urged the new Commissioner of Police in the state, the state government and other stakeholders to step up their game in crime fighting.
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