NEED TO CURTAIL SENSELESS KILLINGS OF OUR GIRLS, WOMEN

 

BY CHRIS TONY AKHABUE 

 An abhorrent epidemic has taken root in our society—a relentless and needless escalation in the killings of young girls and women across our nation. This grim reality is not mere statistics, but a profound tragedy that reverberates through families; communities and the very fabric of our humanity. Unfortunately, this barbaric attitude is being accepted in Nigeria as part of the numerous evils that have defiled known solutions.

 From the urban centers to the rural communities, the scourge of gender-based violence knows no geographical bounds. These heinous acts are often perpetrated by those who claim to love or protect, revealing a disturbing undercurrent of misogyny that is now permeating our culture. It is a sinister paradox that in a society that professes to value life and liberty, women and girls remain disproportionately vulnerable to violence and unwarranted brutal killings.

The record is replete with stories of orgies of brutal killings ranging predominantly from ritual killings to domestic violence leading to gruesome murders.

Recently, the quiet farming community of Ilewo Orile in Abeokuta North, Ogun State community, was thrown into mourning as a 29-year-old mother of one, Mrs Gloria Peter Ajine, was brutally murdered while harvesting vegetables on her farm.

Gloria, described by her acquaintances, family members and community members as ever smiling, hardworking and devoted woman, had gone to her farm that afternoon to gather vegetables in preparation for the market day. Tragically, she never returned home. She was brutally slaughtered by unknown assailants. 

The entire country is yet to recover from the rude shock generated by the gruesome murder in Abuja early this month of January, of a Youth Corper, Salome Ele Adaidu, by her supposed boyfriend, Timileyin Ajayi, who decapitated her alive before dismembering her body on the mere suspicion that she was cheating on him.

Salome was murdered when she visited the suspect in January at his house in the Papalana axis at New Karshi in Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa State.

According to the suspect, 

“I killed her because we don’t have each other all the time, it’s not something I planned. It happened on that day and it happened. Not that I have the plan in mind, she was cheating. She hides most of the things from me most times. I got to know from her phone. I saw her chats with other guys on the phone, that was why I decided,” he said.

On further interrogations, the suspect further informed the public that he had no regrets killing his victim.

He has however been arraigned on a one count charge of Culpable Homicide punishable by death, contrary to section 221 of the Penal Code Law of Northern Nigeria. 

Also, a 47-year-old vulcaniser, Saheed Ganiyu, is cooling his heels in detention at Utako Division of Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command, after he allegedly set his girlfriend, Esther, on fire during a heated argument.

One is almost losing count of the number of such reported cases of heinous crimes against humanity, not to say the least of those similar cases particularly in the rural communities that are not reported.

Ritual killings of young girls and women in Nigeria represent a horrific violation of human rights and a deep-seated societal issue that needs to be confronted headlong through the instrumentality of the laws of the land.

The effectiveness of death penalty as deterrent for murder is a complex issue.

While some argue that the severity of death penalty makes it a more effective deterrent than life imprisonment, as it removes the possibility of parole or escape, some others feel the time spent on death row is enough punishment. However, another school of thought is of the opinion that he who wilfully takes a life he never created is not deserving of living as well, as he is capable of taking yet another life which may be the life of your close relatives.

Ritual killings contribute to a climate of impunity, where perpetrators evade justice due to corruption and inadequate law enforcement. This not only emboldens future crimes but also erodes public trust in governance and community safety. 

This crisis therefore demands an unequivocal response from all sectors, particularly the government, law enforcement agencies, civil society and the citizenry at large. It is the collective responsibility of citizens to condemn such acts and to advocate for a societal paradigm shift that prioritizes the safety and dignity of women. We must unequivocally declare that the lives of young girls and women are sacrosanct and that the loss of their potential is a loss for us all.

It is imperative at this point therefore, particularly as we celebrate this year’s International Women’s Day (IWD), that we must collectively prioritize our demand that state governors live up to their constitutional responsibilities in the performance of their assigned roles and give life to the signing of death warrants for those who willfully committed murder as provided in the extant laws. This will no doubt serve as deterrent in mitigating the menace of willful ritual killings and other related killings which seems to have been on a steady rise due to governmental negligence of this onerous responsibility which is meant to deter reoccurrence.

The law, as it stands today, under the provisions of the Criminal and Penal Code of Nigeria, stipulates capital punishment for offenses ranging from murder, arson, treason; conspiracy to commit treason, treachery; fabricating false evidence leading to the conviction to death of an innocent person, aiding a child or a 'lunatic' to commit suicide; armed robbery among others.

It is part of the governor's duty to sign death warrants and they should be held accountable for the relentless but needless killings of most of our young girls and women in Nigeria as they could be said to have become accomplice due to negligence of that function which the constitution provides as deterrent. 

If a murder suspect has gone through due process of fair trial and exhausted all channels of appeal and is found guilty after all diligent court proceedings then we should seriously consider implementing those judgments, hoping it serves as deterrent to others who might intend to carry out similar crimes. 

As citizens, we cannot stand idly by while our sisters, daughters and friends continue to be targeted. We must elevate our voices, engage in discourse, and demand accountability from our governors.

  It is therefore expediently imperative that we confront not only the actions of the perpetrators but also the systemic failures that allow such violence to persistently thrive.