Despite the fact that Ekiti State Government, security agencies and relevant civil society organisations in the state have been unrelenting in the f!ght against v!olence against women, r@pə incident still appears to be rampant.
The disclosure by the Police Commissioner in Ekiti State, Joseph Eribo, recently that operatives of the State Criminal Investigations Department made arrests in 12 r@pə cases and two others of abusə of nine years old girls between January and mid April brought the situation to the fore once again.
More worrisome is the fact that the victims in the 12 r@pə cases were mainly minors as the data showed cases involving nine minors and three adults. Four of the affected minors were aged three, four, five and eight years old.
The state government has been fight!ng r@pə with public sensitization, laws and enforcement and as well emplacing policies that will dissuade the social vice, just as civil society organisations are coming up with various strategies to reach communities and stakeholders to eradicate r@pə
Among initiatives of the state government is the ‘Name and Shame’ policy whereby photographs, names and addresses of convicted r@p!sts are placed in strategic locations to shame them and deter would-be r@p!sts while the convicts’ names are also entered into the Səx Offenders’ Register.
A lawyer and Executive Director of Gender Relevance Initiative Promotion, Mrs Rita Ilevbare, listed efforts of the state government in the regard to include “putting in place of policies and laws, political will and institutional facility like the Səxual Ass@ult Referral Centre”.
Ilevbare added that “the state Ministry of Justice is prosecuting, the Ministry of Women Affairs is providing psycho-social support and even the various preventive activities that the Office of the Wife of the Governor is embarking on.
“The governor’s wife, Dr Olayemi Oyebanji, also ensures that she takes care of the children so that they can go back to school, to make them less exposed. When children are not in school and hawking around, they are likely to be exposed to v!olence,” Ilevbare said.
But reeling out the incidents which were transferred to the State CID from various divisions and other sources between January and mid-April 2025, the police commissioner said, “On January 29, a case of r@pə was reported at Oye-Ekiti on behalf of a five years old victim.
“The suspect, 30 years old Damilola Oladunjoye, lured the victim to his room and had carnal knowledge of her. The case has been charged to court”.
The CP added that on February 2, a case of def!lement of a nine-year-old girl was reported at Ikere-Ekiti. The victim was lured by the suspect, 17 years old Seun Jonathan, to his room where she was səxu@lly assa#lted. The case has been charged to court.
He said, “On February 15 in Ado Ekiti, a case of def!lement was reported on behalf of a four years old victim. The suspect, 15 years old Daniel Ademola, lured the girl child to an isolated place at Okeila area and took advantage of her.
“The suspect confessed to the alleged crime and was subsequently charged to court”.
Eribo stated that another suspected rapist, 35 years old Peter Ileteogu was arrested based on a petition received from Ekiti Səxu@l Ass#ult referral Centre, Ado Ekiti, on behalf of a 15 years old victim.
The police boss said, “The suspect lured the victim, who is his younger sister and səxu@lly ass#ulted her. The suspect had been charged to court”.
He added that one 31 years old Ademola Ariyo was also nabbed by detectives from the CID on February 27 for allegedly r@p!ng a 15 years old girl who he lured to his room.
“The case was transferred from Ilupeju Division to State C.I.D, Ado-Ekiti. The case has been charged to court”.