Report Women

THE ACCESS, THE ABUSE

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1 Published, December 2015

WARNING This document contains images or content that may be disturbing to some viewers.

Viewers discretion is strongly advised.

THE ACCESS, THE ABUSE

Introduction

T

hese are two words women and abuse but they can actually be used interchangeably because of the way women have been abused over the centuries.

Too many atrocities have been committed against women [many undocumented] because they are seen as the ‘weaker sex’.

In Nigeria, there are various ways in which women have been abused – from child marriage to genital mutilation and slavery, but the data is relatively sparse because in most of the reported cases, these women are also denied justice.

In this compendium, we present some stories that have seen the light and what has been done.

Because these have been documented, the Centre believes that the right authorities will do more to prevent occurrences like these in future.

A study by Family Wealth has revealed that women could control about 70% of the world’s wealth by 2030, it thus behooves of the Nigerian society to treat her women better NOW because they are going to be holding more power very soon.

WSCIJ Centre Coordinator

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THE ACCESS, THE ABUSE

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Contents Culture versus the Girl child

The menace of baby factory in Imo state

Scarred for Life

Child Trafficking

In Rivers, women are married to their husbands even in death

Justice Denied

Abiose Adelaja Adams

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Abiose Adelaja Adams 8

Perez Brisibe

Osemeke . P. Ebele

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Widowhood (1)

95

Human Trafficking Simon Ateba

102

Trafficked Nigerian girl dies in Burkina Faso

Isioma Madike 24

Widowhood (2)

Simon Ateba

Isioma Madike 32

115

Widowhood (3) Rapists on rampage

Maternal mortality

Emmanuel Osodi 117

Marie-Therese Nanlong 44

Gift Chapi

152

Nnenna Ibeh

158

How Nigerian Universities encourage sexual harassment of female students Nicholas Ibekwe 160

Nigeria’s hardworking women in agriculture

Isioma Madike 37

Nnenna Ibeh

Nigerian Government promises to pay midwives owed for 8 months

Chigozie Uzosike Paul Orude

midwives scheme, fails to fight maternal deaths

120

Randy teacher impregnates high school student in Abuja Favour Egbuta 166

We Were Violated and Forced to Keep Quiet

Insecurity keeps Nomad Kids from school

High rate of rape incidents in Port Harcourt suburbs

Female Genital Mutilation Thrives in Secrecy (1)

How women are imprisoned in hospitals

Plight of pregnant women in refugee camps

A true tale of beggars (1)

Need to include female child in family inheritance

Ojoma Akor

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Oladosu Olutosin Adebowale

Female Genital Mutilation Thrives in Secrecy (2) Olutosin Oladosu AdebowaleÂ

Female Genital Mutilation thrives in secrecy (3) Olutosin Oladosu Adebowale

Grace Obike

124

Shirley Igbinedion 69

129

Temi Bamgbose 137

A true tale of beggars (2) 74

Temi Bamgbose 142

A true tale of beggars (3) Temi Bamgbose 147

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How Nigerian Government ruins

Nsikan Sunday Edak

168

Veronica Ogbole 174

Ibunge Blessing Iruoma 177

How do IIaje fare with oil exploration Adetokunbo Abiola

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Culture Versus the Girl Child Abiose Adelaja Adams

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hao town in Kwara State is a tourist site known for its annual mass wedding festival, but little is said or known about the children among the scores of young women married off at a single event.

During a recent visit to the community, which is some 15 kilometers from Ilorin, the state capital, ICIR met the chief priest of the Awon Mass Wedding Festival, who told the tale of how a river goddess had instructed the founding fathers of the town centuries ago about requirements of marriage rites. As the myth goes, the priest, Oloruntogun Ojetunde, popularly called Baba Alawon, said that a certain river goddess appeared to the town’s forebears and promised to bless them if they keep to her commandments.

MARCH 8, 2015

“The Awon is a spirit from the river in Shao,” Ojetunde said in local Kwara dialect. “But it appeared in the form of a woman in the community when the inhabitants were still few. It introduced herself as a spirit from the waters to two hunters and a certain elder that she has come to bless the people, and when she was about to disappear, she gave an order that all women in the village must be married to men in the same village, in one single day. It also blessed us that we will be fruitful and prosperous,” he further enlightened.

This age-long ritual, he told our reporter, is responsible for the population growth of the town till date. The priest said that the mass wedding ceremony has been conducted every year since the day the Awon goddess so instructed. So strict is the adherence to her instruction that if there are no women

to marry off in any particular year, girls from age 13, 15, even 12, are considered marriageable.

This contravenes the Convention on the Rights of the Child which pegged marriageable age at 18.

Frail-looking, dark complexioned Ojetunde, who doesn’t know his real

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age but can be estimated to be in his 70s, sees absolutely nothing wrong with marrying off a 13-year old. He said it was a norm in the dark days when there was no education.

“Even today, once they are 13, we send them to their husband’s house so that they can be fruitful and multiply in the land,” he said with a tone of finality. The uneducated man, who can neither read nor write, said

his position is entirely based on the instructions of the goddess to keep the land fruitful.

left them to their tradition and that the Ministry of Tourism has even been supportive. It is noteworthy that Kwara State is among the 24 Nigerian states which have signed the 2003 Child Rights Act, which prohibits betrothal and marriage of children and instructs parents or guardians to guarantee them education, training and guidance.

Chief Priest of the Awon Mass Wedding Festival, Oloruntogun Ojetunde

The ceremony holds in October, thus on the day of her visit, our reporter did not see any child bride.

When asked if the reporter could speak to any of the child brides, the priest said “the child brides of yesterday are now women today. The recent ones are in their husband’s house or dispersed to various towns.”

Even then, the reporter found some of the former girl bride to talk to.

“This is very common in the north where child marriage is also common. It is a disease that damages our women.

The festival is celebrated every October till date amidst pomp and fanfare.

The number of brides has however dropped to about 40 in recent times. “If it is so bad, we will wed at least 15,” said Ojetunde. He, however, lamented that the advent of civilisation and westernisation has changed the hearts of the people against the tradition. Many people have converted to Christianity or Islam.

As a result of this, not all the women come to him, for wedding preparations anymore. “Before, it was a

taboo to organise your own wedding in Shao, but not so anymore,” he said gloomily.

However, he cannot change from the mandate given him.

He said the government has

The government has left them to their tradition and the Ministry of Tourism has been supportive though Kwara State is among the 24 Nigerian states which have signed the 2003 Child Rights Act

THE ACCESS, THE ABUSE

Mama Yisa, 40, is from Shao and was given away in marriage at 16. She has seven children and till date she can neither read nor write, as she never had the opportunity of attending school because of her early marriage, she said. However, one of the brides given out in October 2014 shared how she would have married as a child but delayed it because of schooling. Oluwabunmi Adebayo is a 25 year-old high school leaver. She was part of the women given out in a mass wedding in the last Awon festival Day in October 2014.

Her reaction was “no”, when asked whether she was forced. “It is our culture here for all women to marry same day. We are the ones that will bring our husbands ourselves. All young girls look forward to it,” she said. “On my own wedding day, all of us that married that day were 31 in number.” Adebayo said that she knows 15-year-old girls who were given out in marriage. She too would have married earlier had she not desired to study.

marriage in Nigeria has reduced by one per cent annually in the last 30 years, hundreds of girls are still at risk due to the country’s peculiarly large population.

The report states that of the world’s 1.1 billion under aged girls, 22 million are already married. UNICEF, in the report, is worried that if there is no reduction in child bride practices, up to 280 million girls will be married before age 18. And due to population growth, this number will increase to 320 million by 2050.

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CAUSES Child marriage clearly violates the Child Rights Act and has multifaceted consequences on the society. Betty Abah, the Executive Director, Centre for Children’s Health, Education, Orientation and Protection, CEE-HOPE, who works with girls and vulnerable children in Lagos, South-West Nigeria, said that the practice whereby children are given out in

marriage is still very common in the country.

“Child marriage is prevalent in many rural settings. And, even in a cosmopolitan city like Lagos, we have seen it practiced in some of the poor neighbourhoods.”

Lagos State is one of the states that have ratified the 2003 Child Rights Act. “I will strongly say that the three most important contributory factors are poverty, lack of awareness and government’s A 2014 UNICEF report, indifference.

Many are ‘Ending Child Marriage, pushed by poverty to Progress and Prospects,’ ‘dispose’ of their children in shows that though child

order to duck from parental responsibilities – and you know, of course, that the rate of child birth is usually quite high in poor and excluded areas). She continued: “Also, there are virtually no forms of social welfare system for children in existence here in Nigeria so poor parents are always at their wits end

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and marry off their female children as soon as possible to have some economic relief.”

is very common in the north where child marriage is also common. It is a disease that damages our women.

Many of the girls also die of other childbirth-related complications. It is one of According to the United the reasons for maternal Nations Children Fund, mortality and also for child UNICEF, Child marriage mortality in the country,” has intergenerational Abah remarked. consequences. Girls who are married off early are “Many are too young to take not only denied of their good care of their children education and childhood, as they themselves are but socially isolated from children. And as we have society and family. They are seen that lack of care, that also unable to negotiate deficiency, shows in their safer sex, thus exposing children who are either not them to sexually transmitted healthy or, like their mothers, disease such as HIV. Further may get little of no education lending her voice, Abah said: and therefore face very “Child marriage can be very bleak future prospects,” she traumatising and degrading added. and that is exactly why we have seen instances of young girls rebelling against these inhuman systems by killing their husbands in recent Adebisi Ojo, a 42-year-old man times.” from Shao lamented that the Lots of medical problems influence of civilisation is killing can arise from child the culture of mass weddings. marriage, such as Vesico- “It is our culture, but civilisation Vagina Fistula, VVF, a is killing it. Everybody wants to condition very prevalent in do their own (wedding),” he the northern states. VVF observed. He and some youth arises from obstructed association are planning a labour, after which a fistula revival of the culture and plan (tract) is created between to get government support to the bladder and vagina, thus generate revenue for the town the woman leaks urine. “This and solve unemployment issue.

CONSEQUENCES

CULTURAL PRESERVATION

While cultural activists are canvassing for the tradition to be treated with the same importance as the Osun Osogbo festival, Abah said the system that introduces, supports and propagates child marriage without any doubt “stabs at the heart of ‘womanity’ and is clearly inhuman, crude retrogressive and we should do all we can to fight it.”

The chairman of Moro local government area, Abdul Raheem Adisa, in a statement at the last Awon mass wedding day in October 2014, expressed the council’s readiness to support and promote the festival as it was capable of enhancing communal peace and harmony in the area.

While the mass wedding may not be an infringement on human rights, Abah says this community should be given close monitoring by the state government to prevent children being out given as brides.

http://icirnigeria.org/culture-versusthe-girl-child/

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Scarred for Life

By Abiose Adelaja Adams FEBRUARY 7, 2015

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lthough there are no signposts or landmarks introducing it, Alhaja Bintinlaiye Trado’s home is well-known in Ikire, Osun State, SouthWest Nigeria. All one needs is to ask for Ile-Olugun. From the little boy chasing a cock through the streets and the

one rolling a disused tyre in the dirt, to the woman selling stuff by the roadside, all will point in the same direction –

the peculiar mud bungalow in the rural area of Irewole local government council area.

The cutting of the total or part of a woman’s external genitals continues in most parts of Nigeria despite legislations

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against Female Genital Mutilation. Abiose Adelaja Adams reports on the uphill task of stopping this practice which inflicts lifelong injury on many women. her head and face, Bilikisu Bintilaiye, who was mixing a concoction of herbs for the next woman in labour, said she had been in this practice for 48 years, as handed down to her by her forefathers.

Speaking in Yoruba, she said circumcising newborn girls is routine for her. It is our family occupation. We do not have another job. Once they are born, the following day, very early before sunrise, we have to cut it out (the flesh covering the Dressed in a lemon green clitoris) and return the skin kaftan and a black chiffon to the mother.” veil that partially covered This herbal medicine home is where scores of young women make bookings for antenatal care and delivery.

Truth is, in these parts, people believe more in the power of herbal medicine over orthodox, and so have no fear whatsoever that the 60-year old traditional birth attendant, TBA, will harm them. But the home is also popular in the locality as the place to go for your little girl’s circumcision

If you don’t cut the child, if she grows up, it may affect her. If by the time she is giving birth and the child’s head touches the clitoris, the baby may die. in Saudi Arabia and India, Describing herself as a she considers circumcision native doctor with seventeen a sacred duty that must be years of work experience performed in the sustenance

of her culture. “I did one for the baby girl that was born yesterday. If we had known we would have arranged for you to come early and watch me do it. It’s no big deal at all,” she grinned, somewhat excited to be interviewed.

“But don’t worry; I have another woman in labour.

Once she gives birth, if it is a girl, I will do the circumcision immediately just for your sake.” She added.

Sounding confident about her expertise, she showed this reporter a certificate titled ‘Oath of Allegiance’ which recognises her as a member of the National Association of Nigerian Traditional Medicine Practitioners.

The Circumcision Of Baraka Six months old Baraka was brought for circumcision by her mother and this would be done in the presence of this reporter. Bintilaiye asked one of her attendants to bring the girl into the labour room. Placing her on a bed in the dimly lit room, she put on a pair of nylon gloves, washed the scissors in a bowl of hot water, and then used

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afterwards, she cleaned the scissors in the same hot water, soap and Izal, and explained the cultural belief behind her action.

“If you don’t cut the child, if she grows up, it may affect her. If by the time she is giving birth and the child’s head touches the clitoris, the baby may die. You know, not every nurse knows how to midwife and some while they are midwifing, pull the child upwards towards the clitoris, instead of downwards.”

Six months old Baraka

soap and Izal to disinfect it. “Female circumcision is even the easiest”, she said repeatedly, “easier than male circumcision. It is very, very easy. You will just pull up this place (pointing at the clitoral hood) and cut the flesh with the scissors.”

let in sunrays? The chances of cutting something in error were also high with the baby turning and twisting her legs aggressively in protest. No anesthesia was given her.

The hygiene was also a cause for concern as the room was far from being clean.

She was not clear on where to ‘pull up’, only pointing vaguely to the clitoris. Many possibilities went through the reporter’s mind as she watched. What if she cut too much flesh or she cut the wrong flesh, given that the room was dimly lit with only a wooden window open to

Meanwhile, the baby cried out loud in protest while the mother and one other adult pressed her to the bed.

As she nipped the clitoral flesh, blood spurted out.

She immediately stopped the flow with cotton wool soaked in some concoctions.

Removing her nylon gloves

Exiting the operation room, Baraka was pacified with a candy, while Bintilaiye pointed to the pot of herbs she had hitherto mixed.

“Here is a pot of herbs used in the treatment of the child, so she doesn’t get weak.

We give this to the mother too, so the baby can suck it when breastfed and we also give English medicine like Ampiclox. In less than one week, the baby will be healed from the cut.”

Similar procedures, which usually last less than two minutes, have impacted negatively medically and psychosocially on the lives of at least 130 million women and girls worldwide. In

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Nigeria, 40 per cent of women have been circumcised. In Ironically, Bintilaiye says she Osun state, the prevalence is unaware of any campaign is 80-90 percent according against it, though Osun is one of the nine Nigerian states that have legislated against FGM/C.

At Ibadan, Oyo State

Baba Kobomoje

In the ancient city of Ibadan, Oyo State also in SouthWest Nigeria is the popular circumciser called Baba Kobomoje. He is from the renowned Oloola family in Bere. Explaining it from the religious point of view, he said circumcision for male and female is a compulsory commandment

by God Almighty. Claiming to be quoting from the Bible and Quran, he said, “God commanded that on the seventh day the ‘child’ should be circumcised.

The child can mean male or female.” His claim is an apparent distortion of a bible verse in Genesis chapter 17, verse 12 which states that “every man child” should be circumcised from generation to generation.

to a Nigerian Demographic Study. And, the World Health Organization, WHO, observed that this kind of cutting has no medical benefit.

According to UNICEF, 30 million more girls like Baraka are at risk of being cut in the next decade. Many regard the practice as an extreme form of discrimination against women and girls. It is also seen as a violation of their rights to health, security and physical integrity; their right Kobomoje, an to be free from torture and Baba engineer, cruel, inhuman or degrading electrical abandoned his career for treatment.

fulltime circumcision and scarification long ago. Every morning, he welcomes dozens of women who come in to circumcise their eightday old baby boys and girls.

He charges N1,500 for the boys and N3,000 for girls. He also does various kinds of tribal marks, and administers herbal treatment for malaria and convulsion.

The 59-year old, whose cheeks are also lined with tribal marks, said he has been carrying out circumcision since he was nine years old! Among his inherited beliefs is the conviction that “if a woman is not circumcised, she will be very promiscuous. She will be easily aroused if a man touches her.” Furthermore, he said “as she grows older, the clitoris grows as well

Abdulfatai Oloola

THE ACCESS, THE ABUSE

until it looks like the comb of a cock. Some will protrude like a man’s penis, and if she wears trousers, she will be greatly aroused to the extent that she can almost grab a man on the street.”

Although Kobomoje is aware of the campaign against circumcision and has been sensitised, he remains defiant. He said he has trained all his sons to continue the practice. “I don’t think we should set aside God’s word in the name of tradition,” he maintained. ”The way God covered the man’s genital with the foreskin is the same way that God covered the woman’s.

We only remove the skin covering of clitoris, so it will not outgrow. We are not doing female mutilation,’ he insisted.

Shao, Kwara State Further north is Kwara State in the North central zone of Nigeria. According to a University of Ilorin study in 2012, about 79 percent of girls in the state have been circumcised by age five. The ICIR learnt of Shao, a community where all young

girls are married off in a mass wedding in one day, and where female circumcision

is rife. The experience in this small town under the Moro local government area is that old circumcisers are dying off, while their sons are taking over.

Abdulfatai Oloola, 38, told us that he has been circumcising girls since he was 15. He is a civil servant at the Moro council office, so he is not doing this because of the money. “It is a tradition handed over to us by my grandfather’, he said, “and we have to continue it. There is nowhere they don’t do it in this place. They even call us in the clinic and government hospitals to come and do it, and they pay us.”

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Just like Bintinlaiye and Kobomoje, Abdulfatai also says that the idea behind it is to curb women’s sexual desire; to keep their virginity, and thus increase their matrimonial value.

The second reason is to prevent a baby’s head from touching the clitoris during child birth.

“If the girl-child does not do it, when she grows up, she must still do it before marriage. Otherwise she will always have high sexual desire. Also when it (clitoris) is too long, it affects child bearing. And some parents don’t want their children to flirt around, so they bring them to us.”

When asked what What parents he uses, he said are saying it is neither blade In some houses few meters away from Bintilaiye Home, ICIR nor scissors. sought the opinion of some It looks like a parents. A 36-year-old pepper seller, Mama Khadijat, echoes short knife. He what many others said. She also gives the would not reveal the number of girl a medicinal children she has, as it is a taboo to do so in her culture, but she wristband to said her eight months old girl expedite the and all her other daughters healing after the were circumcised. “We can’t but do it,’ she said in Yoruba. “It is a procedure. must in our tradition.”

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Akeem Olaitan, a father and wholesale distributor of pharmaceutical drugs reinforced this thinking. “It is a culture in our land that all our female children must be circumcised. It distinguishes them from the other ones, who as a result will end up promiscuous and not find any serious man to marry them,” he said confidently.

His first child, a female, is circumcised and married now.

Implications

on women, IAC, Abeokuta chapter, who was circumcised as a child provides a historical perspective to the practice.

It is a culture in our land that all our female children must be circumcised.

It distinguishes them from the other ones, who as a result will end up promiscuous and not find any serious man to marry

Examining some of the beliefs that still drive female circumcision through the lens of science, there is no established link between the clitoris and any adverse effect on the baby’s head that can lead to death. The clitoris is an extremely sensitive part of the female organ. It gives “This thing started during pleasure to the woman just the slave trade period where as the penis does to the man. men, because they want to suppress their wives, Thus, the practice of cutting cut it off because they fear all or part of it to rein in they will go behind them to a woman’s sexual desire enjoy sexual intercourse. It is considered by activists is slavery. It is not culture. If to be discriminatory and it is culture, then culture is selfish on the part of men. dynamic,” she said.

Olufunmilayo Gbogboade, executive director of Inter Demonstrating with a cast, Africa Committee against she described the three harmful traditional practices categories of cutting as practiced in various ethnic

groups. The first is the removal of the clitoral hood.

This is the type Bintilaiye and Kobomoje practice.

The second is the removal of the inner labia. The third is the removal of the inner and outer labia and closure of the vulva, leaving a small hole for the passage of urine and menstrual blood, while the vagina is opened for intercourse and opened further for childbirth.

WHO reports that the procedures can cause severe bleeding, problems with urinating, and later cysts, infections, infertility as well as complications in childbirth and increased risk of newborn deaths.

“By the time the woman has developed cysts in the vagina, how can she enjoy lovemaking?”

Gbogboade queried. There are other ways by which circumcision impacts on women and affect their relationships and their lives. For people who argue that it prevents a woman from being promiscuous, some women say that is achieves the exact opposite of that by causing frigidity.

An example is Anthonia Ogunsetan, a lawyer who got married as a virgin two years ago at 39. Up till now

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she does not have children.

It is not clear whether circumcision is responsible for lack of conception. But she faces a bigger problem because she is frigid and does not enjoy any kind of arousal which makes sex with her husband an unpleasant experience. “I just married for the sake of it. I don’t even understand what they enjoy in sex. My husband has tried many ways to get me in the mood, but it is not my fault” she said.

persons shall be subjected to torture or inhuman or degrading treatment.” Sadly, even in states that have enacted legislation against it, the laws are weak in and most times not even implemented. Bintinlaiye’s case is an example of lack of implementation.

Any legislation against circumcision

Narrating her NGO’s efforts she said that “it got to a point, the circumcisers saw us as their enemy, and worked to take our source of livelihood from us. So we had to give them alternative employment opportunity, but we couldn’t convince the hard core ones.”IAC Abeokuta chapter carries out sensitisation through the traditional leaders of various communities, she said. “We may not achieve Another problem is that 100 per cent success, but the sanctions imposed by we recorded at least 75 per the law do not appear to cent success.” be a stiff enough deterrent.

In Edo state, for example, Other challenge they face is persons convicted are from migrants. “We are still subject to a fine of N1, facing challenges from other 000 fine and six months nationalities, for instance, imprisonment. In Ogun from Republic of Benin, State, the law, which was who are still practicing it.”

FGM/C is deeply entrenched in the culture of many people in Nigeria. Sadly, there is no federal Law against it.

Nigeria is a signatory to international laws such as the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, CEDAW, and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, but these are not domesticated yet.

For legal cover against the practice, activists rely on Section 34(1) (a) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria that states, “No

“Implementation is the problem,” said, Modupe Onadeko, the national president of IAC. “The law is not being implemented because the law enforcement agents who are supposed to do this are not informed,” continued Onadeko, who is also a gynaecologist and Professor of Family Medicine at University College Hospital, Ibadan. “Only nine states, Edo, Delta, Ebonyi, Ekiti, Ondo, Osun, Ogun, Cross River, and Bayelsa, have passed the law. We are hoping it will be passed in Oyo state.” Onadeko added.

passed in 2006, prescribes one year imprisonment perpetrators.

Fighting a long entrenched cultural practice According to Gbogboade, the prevalence of FGM/C has reduced in Ogun since the passage of the law, though it is still commonly practiced in the hinterlands. “The task is enormous because there are some who are still in the interior we may not know,” she conceded.

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Ogun State Commissioner for Women Affairs, Elizabeth Sonubi, has promised to start arresting perpetrators in the state. “But before then, we will do enlightenment, capacity training workshop that would involve all the law enforcement agencies, community leaders and Traditional Birth Attendants.”

The situation is, however, different in Lagos. Although there is no overt legislation against FGM in Lagos, laws like the Child Rights Act enforced against street trading and child abuse also covers it. “In our work, we have not really found a place where it is done, except places where you have migrants from other ethnic group doing it secretly,” Kehinde Fasinu, a lawyer with IAC, said.

Zero tolerance to FGM/C Every February 6, the International Day of Zero Tolerance to FGM is commemorated in Nigeria, but there has been no significant reduction in the prevalence, rather the tradition is beginning to filter into hospitals. Onadeko in an interview told our reporter that this year’s campaign is targeted at hospitals and health practitioners who are now ‘medicalising’ FGM. “Some nurses and medics have been found to be culpable in the practice of FGM in hospitals. It is against the WHO principle. This year we are mobilising nurses and involving health personnel,’ Onadeko stated.

The fight to eliminate this practice is like a hydra-headed monster in the hands of NGOs. Zero tolerance means concerted efforts to fight the ingrained ideologies held dearly by the likes of Kobomoje, who quoted a Yoruba proverb which says there is a curse upon any child that allows his ancestor’s business to be destroyed. In a nutshell he said, “Civilisation does not ban us from doing our traditional work. There is no law banning us. No doctor can stop us. No law bans us from doing our traditional work.” icirnigeria.org/scarred-for-life/

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In Rivers, women are married to their husbands even in death

by Perez Brisibe

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ccording to Chapter 220, section 15 of the Matrimonial Cause Act of the Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 1990, death is one

February 14, 2015

factor that leads to the dissolution of marriage if there is a pursuant for such dissolution. But for the Okrika people of Rivers State, South-South Nigeria, brides who are married

according to the “Iya� tradition, are m a r r i e d to their husbands even in death

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unless she is “released” by the family of her late husband after some rituals Gotten from two words, would have been performed. “Ohuri” meaning raffia and “kaka” meaning tie, “Till death do us part” is a phrase Ohurikaka is the practice used in marriages worldwide involved in the symbolic tying implying that with the demise of raffia around the waist of of one of the couple, the other a bride flanked by her groom

Ohurikaka

practice of the Okrika people, the “Till death do us part” cliché does not hold water.

Origin of Iya According

Traditional marriage rite in progress

partner is free to remarry if he/ she feels the need to, but with the Iya marital rite involving the “Ohurikaka” practice of the Okrika people, the “Till death do us part” cliché does not hold water.

Made up of 15 villages, the Okrika people occupy the present day Okrika, Port Harcourt and Ogu/Bolo Local Government Areas of Rivers State, and practice the Ohurikaka ritual via the Iya marital rite in variations.

implying the total bonding of the couple for eternity. For the Okrika people, Iya is the climax of all marital rites and its practice differs among the various Okrika clans in the State.

According to the Iya marital rite involving the “Ohurikaka”

to Dason Minieboka, a public commentator and indigene of Ogu/Bolo, the Iya custom dates back to the precolonial era when husbands and sons embark on fishing expedition (which used to be the major source of income) and return home months or years after while residing at different fishing settlements deep down the sea. Before leaving or while away, the intending groom make a little statutory deposit after seeing the parents of the bride, take her away, and come back later in the future (at this level, it is called Iguwha) to conclude the marital rites which formalises the complete process.

Over the years, because it has helped in checkmating the cases of infidelity and divorces, the culture has

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An elderly person in the family takes up the single yard of raffia cloth and ties the knot round the waist of the wife seven times, each time uttering some incantations that invoke blessings on the couple.

A makeshift shrine in preparation for Ohurikaka ritual

been transmitted from one generation to another and has become the custom and tradition of the Okrika people.

Ohurikaka ritual

Shedding light on the tradition, Chief Tamuno Ajubo, an indigene of Wakirike clan stated that, in performing the Ohurikaka, though in variation amongst the various Okrika clans, the groom is required to produce three to five pieces of kano cloth or Ikpo, one piece of real India cloth, or injiri, four yards of raffia palm cloth sewn together (Okuru), and another separate yard of the same material.

Other items are four large pots of palm wine, twentyfour manilas and various food items.

These offerings are placed in the shrine of the family ancestors, with the bride and groom standing side by side in front of the shrine.

The ‘Iyaed ‘Couple

After this, palm wine is poured in a cup for both the bride and groom to drink from simultaneously, all these signals a virtually impossible room for divorce as the single yard of raffia cloth is the essential thing to make the marriage binding. The marriage once bound can never be withdrawn, though the chances for divorce are slim, if there is room for such without “release”, any child the woman gives birth to by another man, belongs to her former husband who

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In case of unavoidable divorce, the parents of the wife are bound to return double the cumulative expenses of the husband which must be willingly accepted by the family of the man.

An Okrika father flanked by his two wives during the Iya of his daughter

performed the Iya on her and he (the Iya husband) has every right to lay claims to such child(ren).

In case of unavoidable divorce, the parents of the wife are bound to return double the cumulative expenses of the husband which must be willingly accepted by the family of the man. This is followed by some rituals at the family shrine were the marriage was originally consummated and this is aimed at “releasing� the woman from the spiritual grips of her husband.

Even with the demise of the

man who performed the Iya on her, she is still married to him; unless the ritual is performed free her from the marital covenant.

Implications of the Iya Marriage

One of the major implications of the Iya marital rites, is that children given birth to by the couple that fail to perform such rites, belong to the family of the woman and this is one of the reasons why virtually every Okrika man ensures that he performs the Iya marital rite.

In a situation where the woman has been married according to other marital rites but not the Iya, whoever performs her Iya in the future as her husband, automatically becomes the father of her children.

Hire and Purchase marriage

Speaking further on the intricacies of Iya, Mr. Minieboka likened it to a hire purchase contract, saying; “If you do not complete payment of the lease, the property reverts to the original owner.

With all of these, you are allowed to take her but, if

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you do not do the second, at death of the woman, you are not allowed to bury her as the husband. Her people would take her for burial without your permission or involvement in the funeral rites and her people would take her children, with them having no rite in their father’s place.

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the man. As an owner, he refusal of her husband’s has to release his property family to “release” her of the for her to stop being his Ohurikaka rites. property.

In the time of old (and in most cases till date), the Iya was performed in the family shrine which is owned by every family. The ritual is witnessed by the oracle and the gods (ancestors), where “They might stay with him or the spirit, body and soul of see him whenever they feel the bride are given to the like as the case might be, but groom. they would not have rites in their father’s place especially In case of unavoidable with considerations like divorce, the parents of the chieftaincy titles, family wife are bound to return heads, lands etc and they double the cumulative would have little or no say expenses of the husband. when it comes to family issues.

Pending when Iya is performed on the bride, all “As a man, you lose some her children (even though ego because your children she might be married would not be counted as according to the Nigerian yours in your family resulting customary rite or before to them being adopted by a priest) belong not to the the family of your wife. In biological father but to her avoiding this, the groom brothers or her paternal struggle to meet up with it family as the case might be. in making themselves and Am stuck to my husband in family relevant.” death –widow Speaking on her plight as an Iya widow as they are referred to, 43years old Mrs. Tamuno Sodienye lamented According to the practice, the the inability of her and her rite creates that ownership immediate family to return mentality of the women to the Iya expenses and the

Spiritual release

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According to the practice, the rite creates that ownership mentality of the women to the man. As an owner, he has to release his property for her to stop being his property.

“I can’t marry another man even if I want to and I can’t afford to take the risk, for now, I bury myself with taking care of my children and ensuring that they become persons of repute in the society in the future,” she said.

In a chat with Mr. Akin Ayodele, counsel to Madam Sodienye, said; “Speaking from the legal angle, according to the Nigerian Matrimonial Cause Act, following the death of her husband, she is free to remarry if she so decides but, the constitution also

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gives credence to traditional and tradition of the people institutions; this is where we as they have been existing have breeches. ages before the enactment of such laws, so she has no “She would get respite from option than to abide by the the court but might fallout tenets and tradition guiding with her folks back at home the Iya ritual.” having gone against an age long tradition; this is where we have the crux of the matter.”

Debunking the assertion of counsel to Madam Danagogo, Chief George Emar’Otua, an indigene of Port Harcourt Local council said; “No amount of legal action can change the position of things as regards the Iya tradition, the law respects the custom

I would give an arm to be ‘Iyaed’ –Bride

While Mrs. Sodienye is lamenting her being ‘Iyaed’ by her husband before he died, Mrs. Ibiene Dayokanu said she has not been accorded the respect she deserves from her peers if her husband had performed her Iya.

She said: “Right now, my husband can’t lay claim to our children and my children can’t stand up to other children whose mothers have been Iyaed, no thanks to the harsh economic situation of the country but personally as an Okrika woman, I would give an arm to be Iyaed.”

It is my pride to Iya my wife Though it could not be ascertained the direct benefit of husbands who performed the Iya rites on their wife, Chief George Emar’Otua, says apart from him having total custody of his wife and children, the custom as a married man, is a thing of pride and ego for husbands.

He said: “My children are not denied their privileges, it gives me my pride as an Okrika man amongst other men and I get the privilege of total marriage to my wife.”

Matrimonial Cause Act

Contrary to the marital rites of the Okrika people, Chapter 220, section 15 of the Matrimonial Cause Act

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of the Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 1990 states that “for the dissolution of marriage, a decree made pursuant to the petition shall be in the form of a decree of dissolution of marriage by reason of presumption of death.”

Citing death as a ground for dissolution of marriage according to the Matrimonial Cause Act, Barr Finidi Adamagu, describe the marriage in death of brides to their late husbands, as practiced by the Okrika people as barbaric and a slight on the Nigeria matrimonial laws.

He said: “Though the law does not govern marriages conducted under customary and traditional laws, the Matrimonial Causes Act 1970 lays down grounds which may make a marriage void ab initio.”

Shedding light on the legal implications, Mr. Minieboka said, “There is no custom, tradition or rites that are not anchored on the constitution, but if anyone is aggrieved, they can seek redress in the court of law.

When dealing with family and traditional issues, it is not always what the law says

that holds, implementation is not always in tune in the norms of tradition and is not always a convenient thing to do.”

Exploitation of the Iya tradition

Regarding the exploitation of Iya as one of the effects of development and modernization, Chief Emar’Otua said most young husbands for the fear of their wives getting married to another man after their demise; exploit the Iya custom by performing the rite immediately they perform the first stage of marriage.

For Boma Souwari who Iyaed his wife at an early stage, he said “I decided to Iya my wife immediately we got married to avoid any form of complicity with my family in the future. Though I do not pray for the worse, but with this, I am sure she has no option than to stay devoted to me and my family by taking care of my children if am no more.”

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Ph ot og raphy by: Pa ul a W atts

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Widowhood: The story of invisible women (1) Isioma Madike Jan 24, 2015

The dilemma widows in some South-eastern neighborhoods face is dreadfully pitiable. They are condemned to a life of rejection, trauma, deprivation and poverty. However, the sufferings vary from quarter to quarter. Isioma Madike, who is on tour of this region, reports the broad patterns of these harmful traditional practices of widowhood in the communities visited.

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hidera was once cherished by her husband’s family.

But, not any more.

They now treat her as a pariah since her husband died in 2012. They convey through spoken and implied signs, a simple message to her: “You killed your husband.” Chidera, a native of Amawbia in Anambra State still wonders why it

should be her.

“Why me? she mumbles every night with confusion and despair on the bed that once brought her comfort, joy and peace. She now battles with reality and wishes it is all a dream. But, it never seems to go away. It was real; it is her reality, an unpleasant, heartrending reality. But, she is not an isolated case. Paulinus, who

hailed from Nanka, also in Anambra State, died in 2009.

Like Chidera, Adaeze, his wife has been in torment ever since the tragic incident.

Her husband’s people said she killed him. However, it did not stop at just mere accusation. She was forced to drink the bathwater from the corpse to prove her innocence. Her hair was

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shaved with a blunt razor and Adaeze was made to wear black mourning attire for one year during which she was confined indoors.

the market throughout her to try something else back mourning period. home. But, a year after, he fell sick and died.

And she was circumvented like death; people saw her And his family accused me and ran away from her. of killing him. “I was forced The Igbos are a people Okoye, 69, was just 28 years to sleep with the corpse whose values are strongly when her husband died in for three days without food entrenched in their culture 1974. Since then she has not during which time native and traditions and when it known peace as her in-laws doctors were brought in to comes to the issue of prachave constantly made life perform some rituals,” she tices associated with widow- unbearable for her and her said. hood four surviving children.

Yet, if this was all Rosaline “I was made to sit naked on had to go through, it would the floor for a week without have been bearable but bathing with the corpse,” I was forced to she recalled, amid tears sleep with the rolling down her cheeks.

Yet, Chidera and Adaeze are corpse for three not alone in this ordeal. In days without food the case of Theresa Okoye from Neibo in Awka South during which time Anambra State capital where native doctors she started pure water were brought in business.

From the communities in Imo State, comes the same tale of woes and pains. The Igbos are a people whose values are strongly entrenched in their culture and traditions and when it comes to the issue of practices associated with widowhood, the story is the same all over. In Imo, these widows filed up in Local Government Area of the State, she was forbidden to see her husband’s corpse.

She does not buy or sell in

to perform some rituals

For Rosaline, her in-laws confiscated all her husband’s property after he died. She had five kids with her late husband. “My husband left me and five children for one of his brothers and travelled to Lagos State to look for the proverbial greener pastures.

When things did not work out as planned, he returned

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there was no stopping the in-laws. From verifying her culpability in the death of her husband, they went further to deny her inheritance rights. After her innocence was proved, she was forced out of her husband’s home with her children.

During this period her friends deserted her as her in-laws told them she was a witch.

“I left everything for them.

I now live alone in a small, uncompleted building,” Rosaline sobbed.

My bladder was blocked because of the stress and the psychological feeling of doing it before the crowd.

I only managed to do it an hour later, but the junior wife was not part of the ritual because they felt I was the one who killed our husband since I didn’t bear him a child.”

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a black wrapper for three-months after which she was given two sets of wrappers to wear for a period of one year.

She also narrated how her Nkechi said. Her hair was husband of 20 years had shaved and she was made died in a ghastly motor to cover herself with a black wrapper for three-months after which she was given Just like Chidera and her two sets of wrappers to wear likes, the story of Nkechi, is for a period of one year. not different. However, not having a child compounded She was alleged to have the woes that befell Nkechi maltreated her husband and when her husband died had not taken good care in 1999. Although, they of him when he was on his lived a happy life, her sick bed. For this, Nkechi husband’s family members was made to crawl over her from Nkpoo, near Onitsha, husband’s corpse known as mounted pressure on him ige fe ukwu ozu. Augustina’s to do something about his case, from Ozubulu, the childlessness. headquarters of Ekwusigo Local Government Area of He finally succumbed to Anambra State, is similar to family pressure and married that of Nkechi’s.

Dilapidated portion of Okwara’s house another wife. “When he died, I was asked by one of my sisters-in-law to urinate accident and because in an open place and in the she had no child in the Nkechi had her presence of everyone in the she was chased hair shaved and marriage, village in order to prove my out of the compound. She innocence in my husband’s she was made to promptly relocated to Awka, death. cover herself with the Anambra State capital where she started pure

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water business. From the communities in Imo State, comes the same tale of woes and pains.

The number and cruelty level of rituals inflicted on the widow depends on the relationship she has with her in-laws. If relations are poor and plagued by jealousy, the period of mourning provides the sisters with an opportunity to demean their widowed sister-in-law.

But, if she is lucky enough to have mature daughters, her treatment will be less severe, as through connection to their father, are part of the umu ada and can protect their mother from harsher treatment.

On the other hand, if the widow’s relatives are influential or wealthy, they can offer bribes to the leaders of the umu ada to be lenient towards the widow.

Umu ada, most of the time are prejudiced against their dead relations’ wives for past disagreements or misunderstandings.

The Igbos are a people whose values are strongly entrenched in their culture and traditions and when it comes to the issue of practices associated with widowhood, the story is the same all over.

In Imo, these widows filed up intheir numbers, bearing the brunt and gossip signs of their individual experiences.

They typify the classification of those confined to a perpetual injunction of poverty and deprivations that is created by natural occurrence of death, which represents the social inequality in the Igbo culture. Horrible as the tales may be, though, the women themselves in most cases athe ones, who insist on executing these stipulated hateful customs and traditions on their fellow women. In most instances, they are enforcers They see the widowhood of the sanctions themselves. period as a time for vendetta.

However, the identification of The patrilineal daughters fear and superstition appear (umu ada) are women related to be the major obstacle to the dead spouse, often his to eliminating widowhood sisters. They play a unique practices in this region. role in the widowhood There are beliefs that the practice as they ensure that spirit of the dead husband the widow complies with the hovers around and would demands of culture. want to continue to associate with the wife. The spirits,

according to the people, might be malevolent if the widow does not subscribe to widowhood rights. This may be why Rauphina Okwara of Umuokoroezike of Umunam Atta Autonomous Community in Njaba Local Government Area of Imo State had no option but to dance to the turn of her neighborhood’s cruel rituals.

Like those in Anambra communities, Okwara was denied her rights and was subjected to other inhuman treatment for refusing to marry her husband’s younger brother. “When my husband died, his family asked me to marry his younger brother.

And when I refused, they summoned a meeting to throw me and my only child out of my matrimonial home on the grounds that I refused to remain in their family,” Okwara, who lost herhusband in 1998, said.

Okwara cannot understand why fate could be so cruel to her. “Life has not been fair to me,” she sobbed while narrating her ordeal to this reporter.

Her story has been that of hopelessness as, according to her, since her husband and only child died more

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than 17 years ago, the world has “crumbled on my head; all hope is lost.” Today, this 69-year-old woman, who now looks older than her age, lives

the old widow recalled.

Adolphus (her son) was, according to her, “the light and hope of my life.” He was trading and doing well in Aba

Okwara stepping out of her thatched house

in squalor in her thatched mud house that wobbles in the neighbourhood. The house has several cracks that makes it risky to live in.

It could crumble anytime. “I have no alternative, that is why I am still in this place. I know it is not safe staying here but what do I do. I’ve lived here since my husband died. I moved in here when I saw that it was abandoned,”

before tragedy struck about 10 years ago.

“He was about to change my pathetic situation before the devil snatched him from me. Since that time, I’ve not left this hut as I am hoping on God to give me more strength to live on till I die.

You can see that I’m getting old and can no longer do many things,” Okwara said

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with a tired voice. She is engaged at present in broom making as a trade to support her existence. She said that when the thatch roof gets bad and has leakages, which happens often, she would personally fetch raffia leaves to cover the leakages.

“As you can see, I’m aging fast and sometimes because of ill health, I can’t weave the raffia leaves to make thatched roof and that affects me a lot when the rains come,” she said. This may be why she is calling on the wife of the governor of the state, Nkechi Okorocha, to come to her aid and assist in putting a roof over her head.

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“I’ve been hearing that the wife of our governor has been helping people in my condition. That gave me hope as I’ve also been praying to God since that news to use somebody like to her remember me. The way things are going, I may not last too long if I remain in this condition. I’ll be grateful if she can help wipe away my tears and years of suffering.

My heart longs for at least, a moment of joy and celebration before I die,” she pleaded. There was also a pathetic story of a widow, who died six months after her husband’s death in 2007.

The Christian community, according to the narrative, gathered for her burial and funeral, but other members of her village resisted and insisted that the woman should be thrown into the evil forest without mourning for her since she committed an abomination by dying before the end of the traditional mourning period.

In spite of over 100 years of contact with western education and Christian religion, widowhood rites and practices considered to be dehumanising are still prevalent in many Igbo communities today.

In recent times, though, there have been conflicts between families, traditional and religious groups when some of the rites and practices are being enforced, especially when working class or Pentecostal Christian groups are involved.

It was a taboo for a widow to laugh or look cheerful when her husband has not been buried Such conflicts sometimes result to open verbal and physical violence even at the places of burial, resulting in disruption of social activities, ostracisation and sanctions among disagreeing groups.

She was required to restrict her movement and not go for work for six months and be in the village, confined to the compound in mourning dress. The young widow resisted this. She explained to the umu ada that she would lose her job and disrupt her children’s schooling in Lagos should she comply.

Unfortunately, her pleas fell to deaf ears as she was sanctioned for breaking the traditional norm of not mourning her husband for the customary duration (ilu uju). The umu ada fined her the sum of N 10,000.00 and compelled her to stay at her father’s house for one month as a punishment. Again, she stubbornly declined to obey.

The umu ada then refused to shave her head because, according to them, she did not show enough sorrow that her husband died. They also alleged that she was conversing freely and even smiled with sympathisers during this period. It was a taboo for a widow to laugh or look cheerful when her husband has not been buried, they said. She was appropriately fined for the misdemeanour.

Apart from affecting community life, the widow is the centre of the crisis, a situation that worsens her physical and mental state. But, there are some courageous and defiant ones. A young woman from Ogwu in Enugu State, who refused her name in print, was working in a bank in Lagos when However, not shaving one’s hair for the husband is a sign her husband died in 2010. of not mourning him and is

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feared to attract the dead husband’s wrath on the widow and other members of the family. But, the young woman called their bluff and returned to her base in Lagos to continue her normal life.

According to her, “nothing has happened to me since then. I believe this will encourage other young widows and together, we shall put a stop to this barbaric tradition.” Indeed, the young widow’s stance appears to be gradually paying off as more women are beginning to disobey the widowhood traditions.

The problem with our people is essentially, illiteracy; it makes it easier for the useless culture to mess them up. My advice to fellow widows is to be bold and fight for that which belongs to them.

For instance, Nkechi Okafor, 43, from Amachala community in Anambra State had three children for her late husband, who died in 2012. Like the defiant widow, Okafor told this reporter that she deliberately refused to be intimidated by her husband’s people during her mourning period. “Yes, I mourned the father of my children because he was a good husband but I never allowed anybody to humiliate me.

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my ground and nothing has happened and would never happen.

I needed to do that to protect the future of my kids. The problem with our people is essentially, illiteracy; it makes it easier for the useless culture to mess them up. My advice to fellow widows is to be bold and fight for that which belongs to them,” Okafor said. Good advice, but the devastating effect and pain of losing her sweetheart was, however, The battle started more than just loneliness immediately he died when and boldness for Amaka of his siblings started making Oji in Enugu State. advances at me. I knew the consequences and they did She was, for a long time, not disappoint, but I gave it logged in a legal battle with back to them. They wanted in-laws over her husband’s to push me out of the house only property. To be able my husband built and seized to make a legal claim to the home, Amaka said her in-laws his properties. forged documents claiming Unfortunately for them, my that her late husband willed husband never hid anything it to them. “My husband from me. In fact, we did didn’t write any will but everything together as if he they manufactured one to knew what will happen at his claim the only house he left death. “He handed over the behind. According to the properties’ documents to fake will they manufactured, me shortly before his death his landed property too and that was my weapon. should be sold to take care Though, they threatened fire of his aged mother. and brimstone, but I stood

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I wouldn’t have had problem with that if at all there was any will of my late husband. But, there wasn’t any,” she insisted.

The plot to dispossess Amaka of the house and landed property started shortly before her husband died. “When it became obvious that he will not survive the sickness, they came suggesting that the house be sold and the money used for further treatment.

My husband rejected that; he told them it was all he is leaving behind for his children and as such they shouldn’t touch it more so that he was not sure of surviving,” Amaka said. http://newtelegraphonline.com/ widowhood-the-story-of-invisiblewomen-1/

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Widowhood: The story of invisible women (2)

By Isioma Madike Jan 31, 2015

Culture, tradition and law have been identified as the bane to safe widowhood practices in most Igbo communities. This is the findings of Isioma Madike, who combed some of these neighbourhoods in a two-week tour.

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ndeed, widowhood is a dreadful experience in Igbo communities. It comes with shock, pain, sorrow and often suffering. The communities are of the belief that a man

can hardly die a natural death.

Someone, especially their wives, are usually suspected to be responsible. In some of these cultures, the grieving period begins as soon as the

man is pronounced dead.

That is where the whole drama starts. The wife and children are made to observe the compulsory traditions that are

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customary to her husband’s people. It is worse if she is not from the same place with him.

delayed, lasting in most instances three to six months and before the funeral, some widows have to continually wear the funeral black mourning robes, others are ostracised and barred from going to places of worship. In other instances, the widow is only allowed minimal work.

These practices vary from community to community.

While some would have the woman and her children clean-shaved and wear white or black mourning robes, others are ostracised and barred from going to Cows are slaughtered and places of worship. In other lavish banquets held with instances, the widow is only good sums spent without allowed minimal work. recourse to the future of neither the wife nor the While the poor woman is children. These happens battling with the confusion without consideration that and the accompanying the intervention of death in distress, preparations for life terminates lofty dreams, the burial ceremony starts ambitions and aspirations of most of which are very the couple. And that it brings expensive, often without final separation, leaving the recourse to what the family living partner to carry on. will live on thereafter.

This is why pain, grief and depression are usually the companions of widowhood in these neighbourhoods.

It is more pathetic when the widow has no formal education, skill or business to fall back on.

On his death she is denied any part in planning for his burial. Thereafter, the most excruciating pain of watching her husband’s siblings contest ownership of her husband’s property conThe funeral is needlessly cludes her anguish.

If the man was rich, selfish uncles and aunts use such period to taste the forbidden fruit, which was, until his death, the wife’s exclusive preserve. Usually, they strategise on how these monies are spent.

However, if the man had a house considered not good enough, his people will build another or renovate the old one.

It also represents a “social death”, which robs them of their status and consigns the women to the very fringe of society where they suffer the most extreme forms of discrimination, stigma and deprivation. Many of them fall within the poorest of the poor and least protected by the law.

And their lives, determined by local, patriarchal interpretations of traditions and customs. In the same Igboland, a widow, also known as nwanyi ajadu, usually passes through several stages of agony in life, as soon as she loses her husband, which invariably traumatises her and leaves her a nervous wreck.

She first goes through the pain of taking care of her ailing husband.

On his death she is denied any part in planning for his burial. Thereafter, the most excruciating pain of watching her husband’s siblings contest ownership of her husband’s property concludes her anguish.

This is why widowhood is an ordeal in the life of an Igbo woman. Her horror starts with the shaving of her hair, to isolation from

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people and even denying her a good bath for weeks. Her piteous state, occasioned by her unkempt body, leaves her looking like a mentally deranged woman, and her outlook epitomises abandonment, rejection, neglect and ugliness. They are often left to raise their children alone. They also barely have time to grieve for

long. More agonising is the discovery that in-laws are not as sympathetic as they should. In most instances, before the dead is buried, a big scramble has begun for his belongings with nobody consulting the widow. Incidentally, the dominance of strong held traditions in some of these communities have helped suffocate efforts at reform.

More agonising is the discovery that in-laws are not as sympathetic as they should. In most instances, before the dead is buried, a big scramble has begun for his belongings.

Yet, when a man dies, his wife, in these communities, is habitually perceived as a stranger, one for whom provisions were not made. Her late husband’s properties are forcibly taken from her without regard for her children’s welfare.

They are left without help, rejected and forsaken to flounder in hopelessness, forcing some of them to resort to prostitution and begging. Many of them also find themselves at the mercy

of their dead husband’s relatives, who often may want them as wives. At times, they may be as cruel as throwing the widow and her children out of the house if she refuses their advances.

This may be why the problem of widowhood makes women in Igboland the most vulnerable in the Nigerian society. They are exposed to indiscriminate abuses in all aspects of their lives.

They bear the scars of their

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stigmatisation in a society whose sensibility has been lost to a jaded conscience.

This practice continues to hold sway in many a community in the region. It goes from strange to bizarre and to the unimaginable; in some cases, archaic, barbaric and very cruel. However, one of the worst adversaries that could confront any Igbo woman is the cruel fate of being forced out of her one’s cherished home, especially in the event of loss of her loved one. Such a dreadful circumstance has become the collective dilemma of two widows in Enugu State encountered recently by Saturday Telegraph.

The windows, Virginia and Nkechi come from two separate senatorial zones of the state. While Virginia hails from Amebor village in Isiakpu community, Nsukka local government area, Nkechi, who would not want her full identity disclosed, is from a community in Nkanu land in the Enugu East Senatorial zone. The widows are under threat of losing their homes built by their late breadwinners at present. Virginia and her two sons have had to exile themselves in the meantime in the face of adversity. In the

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case of Nkechi, her children turn for the worse when her had encouraged her to retain husband died in 2000. After their home. the death of her husband, her in-laws made her the The house, however, has prime suspect without any been contentious because verifiable evidence. the relations of the dead want to acquire the land on which “Because of this frivolous it was built. The parcel of allegation, my husband’s land, according to Christian, relatives had to abandon one of Nkechi’s sons, was the corpse of their brother legitimately acquired by his for me to bury,” Ndukaku late father. Barely literate, said. She had carried the Christian does menial jobs burden of her husband’s ill while his distraught widow- health all alone, as none of mother is a peasant farmer. her husband’s families gave He said, “my brothers dey do any meaningful support this tins because de know while her hus-band was on say we no get moni to take his sick bed. After the burial, dem to court.” According her relationship with her to him, his lecturer cousin, inlaws went from bad to along with his other uncles worse. Ndukaku was hahave been using their clout rassed out of her husband’s to thwart any move at settling compound, denied use of the matter amicably. the family farm land and was left to fend for her children “They have also prevented all alone. The resultant us from rebuilding our hardship forced her to send dilapidated house,” the out some of her children as boy lamented. Meanwhile, house helps.

Virginia had to relocate to Abakpa Nike area of Enugu metropolis from where she Constitution occasionally goes to her late husband’s house. She generally speaks of the right to dignity is currently consulting a rights group based in Enugu of human persons, to help her fight her cause. it, however, does Stella Ndukaku, a widow from not touch on Akabo in Oguta council area the specificity of of Imo State has a sore tell women’s rights also. Her life took a drastic

Today, Ndukaku lives as a tenant in a dilapidated building, in the same village of her late husband. She only receives little help from her family and unnamed Pentecostal church in the neighbourhood. “I really don’t suspect that anything was afoot until my husband died.

Whether it was a conspiracy or just plain malice, I still can’t tell. What I know is that I am literally alone in this community with nothing to call my own and more mouths than I can afford to feed.

Sometimes, they make me wonder if I am really part of humanity for nobody seems to bother what I’m going through; nobody wants to talk about the injustice I have had to bear,” she said.

At present, widows are discriminated and denied the right to inherit the property in many parts of Nigeria. Though, Section 34 of the 1999 Constitution generally speaks of the right to dignity of human persons, it, however, does not touch on the specificity of women’s rights. That is to be free from harmful traditional practices, which includes widowhood practices, female genital mutilation, force marriage and others.

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These have, over time, constituted a continuing threat to the lives of women in Nigeria. The constitution, supported by international law, also emphasises equal rights for women. But, paper rights, according to lawyers, are difficult to realise in societies where inequality is a long standing tradition, with men largely confirming that assets of women are ceded to the husband on marriage.

Institutions where women and widows are instructed to seek redress and justice, regarding inheritance issues are scenes of contention between paper rights (as enshrined by law) and “living laws” (internalised by culture). Under Igbo

Customary Law, only male children inherit their late father’s property on his death to the exclusion of the females and widow. The first son inherits his late father’s estate and could devolve to his siblings, at his discretion.

Where there is no son, the deceased’s eldest brother or male relative inherits.

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property being snatched away from the widow. What happens at the death of a husband is to accuse the widow of her husband’s death. “And while she is still crying over the loss and trying to sort out herself over the accusation, her husband’s property is being shifted somewhere unknown to her and before she realises what And where the deceased is has happened, the property a polygamist and has many is no more hers. This is what sons from several wives, the happens daily in our ‘civilised’ eldest sons of each of the society,” he said. wives may take part in sharing of the estate. In the words h t t p : / / n e w t e l e g r a p h o n l i n e . c o m / widowhood-the-story-of-invisibleof a gender commentator, women-2/ Ushe Mike, “it is, indeed, agonising and pitiful that we still witness every day the incidence of a husband’s

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Widowhood: The story of invisible women (3)

w

omen and children are the two most vulnerable groups affected by harmful traditional practices. These beliefs, according to Isioma Madike, who concludes

Isioma Madike Feb 07, 2015

this three-part series of the dilemma widows face in the South-east region, reflects the values held by members of a community for periods spanning generations.

‘Natives argue that their culture is superior to the law’ From Adaobi Okeke of Trans Ekulu community in Enugu State and Mercy Iwuala of Umukaran-Umudurugho

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Iwuala’s story is not any better. She was, since her husband died in 1998, logged in a legal battle with in-laws over her husband’s property. The family had, before now, accused her of killing their brother.

Adaobi Okeke of Trans Ekulu community in Enugu State

neigbourhood in Isiala Mbano, Imo State, come the same tale of woes and pains.

Like those other widows, Okeke and Iwuala were denied their rights and were subjected to other inhuman treatment after they lost their husbands. “When my husband died, his family asked me to marry one of his younger siblings.

“When my husband died, his family asked me to marry one of his younger siblings. And when I refused, they ordered me out of my matrimonial home along with my little kids “They forced me to sleep with their brother’s corpse for days. That was the instruction from the native doctor they brought in to perform some rituals. It was after my innocence was proved that they conspired to deny me and my children what rightly belonged to us.

And when I refused, they ordered me out of my matrimonial home along with my little kids. Since then, I and my children have remained refugees in our supposed homeland,” said We were forced out of my Okeke, who lost her husband husband’s home and his in 2012.

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property confiscated,” Iwuala said amid intermittent sobs.

In another instance, a woman from Ezeagu community was ejected from the family home and all her late husband’s land and property were taken by her brothers-in-law.

Another along with her children were ostracised by her husband’s people because the woman did not shave her hair after the death of her husband.

Also in Nenwe, a widow who lost her husband in 2011 is currently fighting to save her late husband’s property, which she is about to lose because she is childless. She was locked out of her husband’s house in the village since his death.

In like manner, another widow from Awha neighbourhood was forced to kneel in front of her husband’s community members on allegations that she killed her husband. Incidentally, the consequences of not catering for children the dead left behind usually come back to the society.

This may be why some advocate for special intervention through sustainable policies, in terms of rights and other issues that would enhance the widows’ physical well-being.

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For instance, the Catholic Bishop of Awka Diocese, His Lordship, Most Rev. Dr. Paulinus Chukwuemeka Ezeokafor, condemned these traditional harmful widowhood practices in the region. He called it “pagan and satanic cultural practices”, which, according to him, the body of Christ is not relenting at seeing becoming a thing of the past.

He confirmed that in most communities in the East, widows are subjected to several inhuman treatments including but not limited to accusing them of killing their husbands. “This is inconceivable, unthinkable and unbelievable lies.

That a woman would kill her husband only for her to inflict perpetual pains upon herself is simply an infantile and demonic reasoning. In some cruel cases, the corpses are washed for them to drink; they do this without minding the medical implications, particularly when one is not sure of what might have killed the man. “But, the Catholic Church is not sleeping over this.

“That a woman would kill her husband only for her to inflict perpetual pains upon herself is simply an infantile and demonic reasoning.

also happy because various governments in the region, especially Anambra State, is doing something about it.

The state Assembly is very serious about this and that is encouraging enough.

Unfortunately, nobody accuses the man when the wife dies. It is, regrettably, a patrilineal society. They see it as a man’s world,” he said.

Chairman, Senate Committee on Women Affairs and Youth The church is doing Development, Senator Helen something because we Esuene, echoed the same never and cannot, no matter sentiment. the intimidation, succumb to fetish practices.

She said that it is natural that whatever a couple achieves As a church, we do not believe be available for their children this and cannot be part of it. after their death and urged We encourage our various traditional rulers to put an women societies that have end to the hateful practices taking it upon themselves surrounding widowhood to fight this injustice,” the that offer no value to the Bishop said. society. According to Esuene, “cultural and traditional Ezeokafor told this reporter practices constitute more that the Catholic Church than 70 per cent of the has done a lot in this regard. problems of widows According to him, the church in Nigeria, particularly has, over time, stood for the in Igboland Marriages widows and has been firm in contracted under the Native its resolve to constantly fight Law and Custom encourages these obnoxious traditions. the brother of the deceased to administer the estate “It has not been easy of the dead, a duty, which because the Igbo culture surviving relatives often carry does not encourage women out to the detriment of the to own property. But, I am widow and her children.

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“Even where marriages were contracted under the Ordinance, cultural practices will be experienced, especially, where the widow is ignorant of her right or is financially incapacitated to fight the legal battle.

Unfortunately, It is the conflict in the marriage law that is at the root of the inheritance problem of widows,” she said. In like manner, Mrs. Ekaette Akpabio said that “our plural legal system, which encourages the application of statutory law side by side with customary law, only undermine efforts to achieve fundamental rights for women.”

Mercy Iwuala of UmukaranUmudurugho neigbourhood in Isiala Mbano, Imo State.

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on fundamental human rights, we must ensure that all laws in our country measure up to those charters.”

“Even where marriages were contracted under the Ordinance, cultural practices will be experienced, especially, where the widow is ignorant of her right or is financially incapacitated to fight the legal battle.

It was such context that made a Lagos-based rights activist and lawyer, Emmanuel Nwaghodoh, to advocate for an urgent need to provide for widowhood rights in the Nigerian Constitution. “

The Constitution did not specifically provide for the She added that “as a rights of the widow, not even signatory to global charters in the human rights section

WOPEC office, Awka, Anambra State

of it. That is not good enough.

I think it’s time for a radical revolt against these devilish practices.

We can’t allow it to continue in this 21st century. It is high time we realise that this gruesome treatment is generally unfair to women, who suffer it,” Nwaghodoh said Coordinator, Women in Peace and Communication Initiative (WOPEC),a nongovernmental organisation, Grace Nnadozie, said that the stories of these hapless widows are distressing.

“Working with them has really opened my eyes to the unbearable traditions in various Igbo communities, especially in Anambra State. Though, the state promulgated laws in 2005 during Dr. Chris Ngege’s tenure as the governor of

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the state, it has not, in my opinion, been very effective.

I said this because I am yet to see anybody convicted via the law.

“The natives would always argue that their culture is superior to the law, which is really strange. Apart from that, the umu ada’s are not helping matters.

They are the ones implementing these awful practices as a way of getting back at their brother’s wives, particularly if there was a strained relationship with the woman before the husband’ death. Again, those that claimed to be educated are the worst culprits,” Nnadozie said.

A retired Supreme Court Justice, Niki Tobi, was unequivocal when he said that “though, both the widow and the widower experience basically equal pains for the death of the partner, the Nigerian widow suffers many deprivations, some of which are inhuman, barbaric and uncouth.

WOPEC Coordinator, Grace Nnadozie.

and rightly so. He did not stop at that. But said, “apart from the fact that the discriminatory practice violates the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), the traditional practices are a taboo in the civilised world and should not find a place in any decent society.

bathing the corpse of her husband, all in the name of custom.

This and other widowhood practices are repugnant to natural justice, equity and good conscience and should be thrown out from society as they do much harm to womanhood,’’ he thundered.

The erudite retired justice made it necessary and This discriminatory and parochial approach in the “It is difficult for a human compelling for laws to be practice of widowhood in being in this day and age to enacted at all levels banning Nigeria destabilises and believe that a wife is forced harmful traditional practices vexes Nigerian women to drink the water used in in the society.

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It is difficult for a human being in this day and age to believe that a wife is forced to drink the water used in bathing the corpse of her husband, all in the name of custom.

Perhaps, his was an awakening call as it did not take long before some states latch on it. Enugu and Anambra states, for instance, have taken the lead on this.

While Enugu passed its Law Prohibiting the Infringement of a Widow’s/ Widower’s Fundamental Human Rights on March 8, 2001, under Chimaroke Nnamani as the state governor, Anambra, on the other hand, promulgated hers in 2005 during Ngege’s stewardship.

The laws of the two states are similar in content and nature. They stipulated that no person for whatever purpose or reason shall compel a widow/widower to permit the hairs on the head or any other part of the

body to be shaved. The laws also prohibit victims to sleep either alone or on the same bed or be locked in a room with corpse of the husband/ wife.

They equally specified that such individuals should not be prevented from receiving condolence visits from sympathisers during the period of mourning. Apart from all that, drinking of water used in washing the corpse of the husband/wife and weeping and wailing loudly at intervals at any time after the death of the husband/ wife, except at one’s own volition or involuntary action were also banned.

Besides, they empowered Magistrate Courts in their domain with jurisdiction to try summarily any offence under these laws. Regrettably, implementation of these have been everything but operative.

This may be why the Federation of International Female Lawyers (FIDA) urged women to continue to fight against widowhood practices in Nigerian society for their psychological and emotional well-being.

National coordinator, Women Empowerment and

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Legal Aid (WELA), Mrs. Funmi Falana, has also called on Nigerian women not to sleep on their rights, a position shared by chairperson of the Caring and Uplifting Widows and Orphans Foundation, Mrs. Comfort Attah. Imo first lady, Nneoma Nkechi Rochas Okorocha’s pet project Women Of Divine Destiny Initiative (WODDI) and its various arms such as She Needs A Roof Project (SNARP) and Nneoma Kitchen, has been commendable in her quest to help ameliorate the sufferings of widows in Imo State. Her counterpart in Ebonyi State, Mrs. Josephine Elechi, also has her pet projects, Mother and Child Care Initiative (MCCI) among others, which equally has been affecting the lives of women and children in the state. Unfortunately, their efforts have not been able to bring the needed change of attitude in this regard.

According to findings, the widow’s mourning of her departed husband in Igboland is viewed as a very important tradition, which the living spouse must observe in honour of the dead. When the husband of the woman dies, the mourning begins at that moment of his final breath. The bereaved wife

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runs about wailing at the top with him in the presence of of her voice. umu ada; otherwise she is believed to be in danger of A prominent feature is the the ghost of the deceased intensity of wailing, weeping man The umu ada are and hysteria, which death the enforcement agents generates or is expected and decide how sever the to generate. The children mourning should be. would join in the wailing, together with other friends They would surround the and relatives of the family. widow, commanding her to In their bawling, they would make sure she obeys the regret a big loss as they rules of mourning rites. They recount the deceased’s life may sit her on a mattress achievements, his love and with pillows and cushions faithfulness, a good, honest, around her or sit her on a reliable brother, husband, plain mat or even the bare father or uncle. ground. Umu ada accept that she is crying loud enough for After this stage, the wife their brother or they may becomes the main focus sneer and jeer at her and in in terms of mourning the serious cases of dislike, beat departed husband. Much her up. demand is made of the wife in terms of mourning to From that moment, the show her concern for the widow is believed to be man’s departure from earth. unclean, and likely to The wife must be made to tie contaminate herself and cloth on the body of the late others. Therefore, no one husband (ijebo di akwa). touches her except her fellow widows, who are equally In some part of Igboland believed to be defiled. like Onitsha, the divorced wife of the man must return She is given a piece of stick to mourn the man and do to scratch herself in case of posthumous reconciliation natural body irritation, and

oil palm chaff (avuvu nkwu) to wash her hand periodically in order to reduce her uncleanness.

She is also not allowed to eat any food bought for the funeral ceremony. It is feared that she will die if she eats such foods.

Hence, her food during the funeral ceremonies is cooked separately. The days before the burial of the man are always horrible for the widow as she is made to stay in the same room with the corpse where she is required to be waving away flies from perching on the fast and progressively decomposing corpse.

She is mandated to sit down and raise an early morning cry before anyone is awake and this continues till the day the husband will be buried.

Her most painful ordeal, however, occurs at night before her husband’s burial.

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Rapists on rampage: Shocking stories of how minors have become endangered in Plateau

By Marie-Therese Nanlong

A

s you approach her, she averts eye contact, preferring to look at the ground; call her name, she nods her head without saying a word. She is equally not forthcoming when you try to

February 04, 2015

engage her in a conversation.

Yet this is a girl who was said to be outgoing and playful before her most recent traumatic experience.

But

after

much

prodding

by Vanguard Features, VF, 13-year-old Sadia (not real name) and a Primary Five pupil of a private school in Jos, the Plateau State capital, was able to tell her story, albeit, amidst tears.

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Residents in shock

A middle aged man was caught defiling her at about 7am on the fateful day of October 12, 2014. It was an ugly incident that has since turned her life upside down and left residents in the neighbourhood reeling in shock. She said it was not the first time the man raped her, adding that she had before this time allowed him to have his way because he gave her money to meet her urgent need, which is food.

So their being caught in the act, booed and sniggered at by a curious crowd of residents, was a “shame too much” for her bear.

...being caught in the act, booed and sniggered at by a curious crowd of residents, was a “shame too much” for her bear Narrating her ordeal, she said: “Papa Emeka always sent me to buy things for him and he would leave the change with me. One day, he asked me if I had started seeing my menses and I

asked him what that means, but he said I should forget it.

Another day, he called and told me to enter his room and clean it. As I entered, he came in, pushed me on the bed and held my mouth. I was scared but he was pleading with me not to shout that he wants me to start seeing my menses.

my body. He asked me if I told anyone that I slept in his house, and I said no. Though I was scared, I could not tell anyone because immediately he finished, he gave me N500 and said I should go home and have my bath. Since I did not eat, I used the money and bought food at the roadside.”

However, luck ran out on the randy man on the third day (October 12, 2014) when he called the girl at about 6.30am not knowing that the stepmother was yet to leave the house and suspicious neighbours took note when the girl entered his apartment.

“As he was trying to rape me, I bit him and he left me alone. Because he locked the door, I could not go out, so he started begging me not to tell anyone and he gave me N500. I did not tell anyone because I was confused and I was scared of telling my stepmother because she While the stepmother would beat me. was looking for the girl, a “After many weeks, he asked neighbour knocked at the me to buy a bottle of soft randy man’s door, opened it drink for him. When I went and caught him in the act. She in to give him the drink, he drew the attention of others poured it inside a cup for but before the culprit could me. After drinking it, I started be apprehended, he escaped feeling tired and had to lie through the back door and on the floor. I did not know the poor girl had to face the what happened thereafter, shame of neighbours openly but when I woke up, he reprimanding her. said I should go before my stepmother would start Ever since the incident, she looking for me. I was feeling keeps to herself, plays with pains and did not know no one and endures the anything but I could not tell trauma of daily scolding from her stepmother. She anyone.” confessed she felt like dying Sadia added: “About five days as she knows people are yet later, he called me, put me on to forget the incident and are his leg and started touching talking behind her back.

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Long list of girls raped, traumatised

But unknown to Sadia, she is one in a long list of young girls who have been raped in recent times. On September 13, 2014, in Mangu Local Government Area, another minor, eight-year-old Nankling (not real name), a Primary Two pupil, was defiled by a teenager at Mangu Halle. On the same day, a 10-year-old girl in Mararaba Pushit was raped by a married man who has two children. At Jakatai, a nine-year-old was raped on September 22, 2014 by a 38-year-old father of four.

I feel guilty that I did not do enough to keep my child from harm’s way.”

my children. One day, he took this girl to one uncompleted building in our area and started sleeping with her. I did not see my daughter around so I thought she was playing in the neighbourhood, but she came home, limping and crying. When I asked what happened, she told me what

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who also threatened to kill her if she told anyone. There was also another case at Barkin Ladi where one of the security personnel attached to the Special Task Force, STF, raped a four-year-old girl in the neighbourhood. Though the randy Mobile policeman had been dismissed by

Plateau state Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN Chairman, Soja Bewarang

Aminu did to her. When we got to his house and he confirmed he did it, we got him arrested.

He is there with the Police and they had charged him to court. No matter the result of the judgement, I will still be sad that this happened to me and I feel guilty that I did not do enough to keep my child from harm’s way.”

Telling the story to VF, the mother of the eight-yearold victim, Mama Nankling, said she is yet to overcome the trauma of having her daughter being defiled in that manner. She added she never imagined the neighbour could be so wicked to do such to At Kwata, Zawan in Jos South her baby.

Local Government Area, a 17-year-old girl was on July 7, According to her: “He always 2014 raped by a neighbour came around here to play with

the Police authorities and charged to court, the parents of the girl still lament the situation.

Relationship with victims

Within three weeks in November 2014, three different incidences occurred at Corner Shagari area of Jos North. First, a teenage girl was raped by six men and then at Tudun Wada in the same local government, a three-year old

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was raped by a middle aged man. At Bukuru in Jos South, a five-year-old girl was raped by a man in his 30s.

ignorance, influence of drugs, rituals, inadequate punishments for assailants, drunkenness, lack of care and excessive intake of traditional The case is not different in oth- medicine. Some believe that er areas like Kanam and Qua’an if you have HIV and you sleep Pan where VF investigations with a girl who is a virgin, you reveal that rape of minor is will be cured. on the increase across the religious divides in the local Authorities confirmed that government areas. It was though many of the cases are also established that most not always reported due to of the assailants had some several reasons, an average of form of relationship with the 10 cases had been recorded victims and this, most times, in a month in the past six hinders the cases from being months. They assured that reported. effort has been intensified to sensitize the people to know Curiously, there have that rape of whatever kind is also been cases involving a crime against the state and fathers and their biological must be reported. daughters, stepfathers with stepdaughters, uncles with Why rate of rape of minors is nieces, ‘trusted’ neighbours high, alarming the failure of taking advantage of innocent the state in getting justice for girls and some security the victims usually embolden personnel philandering with prospective rapists to engage young girls in their areas of in this act knowing the operations as well as male chances of paying for their teachers and their female crime is minimal.

It is against this backdrop students. that many have come to Beside the accompanying raise alarm and condemn trauma, some of the victims the rise in rape incidents in have also in the process the State. Among them are been infected with sexually the State Commissioner for transmitted diseases; some Women Affairs and Social are left with unwanted Development, Mrs. Sarah pregnancies which result in Yusuf, the State Police Public their dropping out of schools. Relations Officer, PPRO, DSP Emmanuel Abuh, the Many parents and guardians Plateau State Vice-Chairman attribute the rise to poverty,

of Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Rev. Ibrahim Chindo, the Chief Imam of Jos Central Mosque, Sheikh Balarabe Daud, a gynaecologist with the Jos University Teaching Hospital, JUTH, Prof. Olufunmilayo ParaMallam who had researched extensively on gender-based violence as well as the Long Kwa, Miskagam Ignatius Didel. They have also agreed that it was high time that perpetrators were severely punished for the crime.

Mrs. Yusuf told VF: “The rape of minor is really high. The rate of reported cases of rape of minors in the State in recent months is alarming.

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Blame lawyers, judges–Police

We never really had this problem in the past; this is a new phenomenon and it is becoming a problem for us.

We have received so many But in response to this, a cases of rape of minor in the policeman who did not want to be named said: “Let me State.” tell you the truth, Police is frustrated with the issue of rape because people don’t The failure of even like to report it; when they do, a lawyer will come and the state in say this and that. The lawyers getting justice will defend obvious suspected for the victims rapists and through superior usually embolden arguments the judge will set them free.

prospective rapists to engage in this act knowing the chances of paying for their crime is minimal

“The judiciary should assist when such cases are charged to court; they should do what is expected and leave the rapists behind bars. Apart from that, parents of the children will tell us to drop the

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case even when a rape case is established.”

Rape, sin against God; deserves death penalty– Religious leaders

Speaking on the issue, the State Vice-Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Rev. Ibrahim Chindo said: “To the best of my knowledge, such crime has not been reported to us.

Rape is sin against God and a crime against humanity.

Anyone caught in the act should be prosecuted and no sane person should condone that.”

Similarly, the Chief Imam of Jos Central Mosque, Sheikh Balarabe Daud said rape is a very serious crime in Islam, which could attract death penalty if confirmed that such occurred. He warned parents to be on the watch to prevent their children from falling victim to rapists.

For Para-Mallam, a Professor of Gender and Development Studies and the Coordinator of Christian Women for Excellence and Empowerment in Nigerian Society, CWEENS: “From

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what we in CWEENS have observed, I must confess there is a shocking increase in the incidents and prevalence in violence against women and girls, most specifically against minors. In time past, many people used to say that women get raped because of the way they dress, they get raped because they go out late at night. Too often, people blame the victims for being raped. “If a woman claims to be raped, they ask her what did you do, what were you wearing? But now, it is increasingly coming to the fore that little girls, girl children as young as 10 months old, 11 months old, 15 months old, two years, three years, four years are being raped. “I tell you that one of the problems contributing to this is the high level of societal tolerance for violence against girls and women in general. “Not only is there a high level of societal tolerance, there is also a situation whereby when girls and women experience rape, there is no adequate system in place to give them redress; so there is a very serious level of impunity where men know that they can do it and get away with it.

There is a kind of nonchalant attitude by the society.

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“Let me tell you the truth, Police is frustrated with the issue of rape because people don’t even like to report it; when they do, a lawyer will come and say this and that.

Raped by her father, disowned by family

“For instance, one of the ladies that came to us was raped by her own biological father not once but twice.

When she dared to voice out what her father had done to her, her parents and the entire family turned against her and she became an outcast in her own home; in her family.

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through the apprehension and prosecution of the perpetrators.

In many instances, these girls have to continue living with the perpetrators either in the same home or same compound.

“The tragedy of the situation is that where girls are supposed to be the safest, that is where they are being violated: by stepfathers, fathers, brothers, uncles, and cousins, even “This girl got pregnant, he friends of families. It is a very took her and aborted the serious problem.” pregnancy, the parents got to know but he begged and gave them some money, and What we have it ended as a hush-hush affair.

The second time it happened, found out and like the girl got pregnant again, he took her for abortion the Commissioner and it developed serious of Police had told complications. An NGO was called in and they came to us us, there is a large to look into the situation they level of complicity were dealing with. of the victim. Unknown to them, one of the men in the compound had called their daughter, a minor of 14 years, and began to entice her with money and sleeping with her.

“She had to leave and so suffered a double jeopardy.

Not only had she been abused and violated, she faced the injustice of victimization because she dared speak out. “What we have found out People are forced to keep and like the Commissioner of Police had told us, there silent. is a large level of complicity “Another situation that came where families themselves fail to our attention, all of them to protect the girl-child and happening in Plateau State, when the girl-child is even a family living in a compound abused, they fail to ensure setting with another family that she is given trauma and both of them are relatively care, counselling, justice poor, especially the family

where families themselves fail to protect the girlchild and when the girl-child is even abused

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Conflict as a factor

Giving reasons for the increase, she added: “There are several reasons like violence in society. One of the after-effects of a society that has experienced conflict is the increase in violence against women and girls. During conflict situations, women often experience rape and other forms of sexual violence such as forced prostitution, sexual slavery, and forced marriage as we see with the Chibok girl, etc.

“During conflict situations, girls face this problem from security agents posted to communities to keep the peace and they end up stealing the peace of women and girls in this very insidious and horrible way. We also have an increasing culture of violence.

Though I am not justifying rape but very often men are not taught how to handle anger and frustration so they turn it on the vulnerable and the weak.

“Another explanation is that in a patriarchal culture such as ours, too often, the rights of women are trampled upon; women and girls are not protected at all. In fact, they are totally denied. Men are brought up to feel that ‘I am the boss, I am in charge,

I can command and control and have whatever woman I desire’. In such culture, women are often seen as sex objects; not only when a girl or woman is dressed half-naked, but women are objectified and seen as good for her reproductive capacity and sexual allure.

“Overwhelmingly, our culture is very derogatory and condescending, very discriminatory, very belittling of girls and women. This culture of looking down on the woman and objectifying her as a sex object contributes.

The poverty question

“Another reason which is so obvious is poverty. We have seen some cases where parents are induced to keep quiet because they were given financial incentives. They were told, ‘Okay, I am going to give you this money, don’t tell of what I did’ and many of the parents being poor will say, well let us take this money and see how we can help our daughter. A lot of girls also make themselves vulnerable for men to exploit them because they are looking for money. I remember a girl who I heard went to military checkpoint and told a soldier,

please just do anything you want with me but just give me lunch.

“Recently, there was a little girl who was hawking groundnut in Abuja and a man came down from a Keke(tricycle) and said come, my oga is calling you, he wants to buy groundnut.

Initially she did not want to go but the man asked don’t you want to sell your groundnut and she went. Both the man and his partner raped the girl. She went to the police station but a policeman told her she was a fool to have followed the man. The victim ended up getting blamed and nobody asked who these men were and how to arrest and prosecute them.

Parents should know that when something like that happens, they are not to bathe the children but get to a General Hospital for report and verification before the evidences are lost.

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Difficult prosecuting rapists

like that happens, they are not to bathe the children but get to a General Hospital for report and verification before “The laws do not protect the the evidences are lost. woman, when we started “Another issue that hinders investigating rape; we were prosecution of suspects is shocked to discover how when the suspect and victim difficult it is to prosecute are from different religion and rape. According to law, a culture. Recently in Kantoma, woman or girl or whoever is Mangu local government area, raped has to have a medical because of the differences report from a public not even in languages and culture, a private hospital; she has to relatives and friends of the prove beyond all reasonable suspect ganged up against the doubt that she was actually victim who is from a different raped. For so many people tribe. who have been raped, the last thing on their mind is taking “Medical personnel should themselves to hospital; they also be sensitized because just go and hide in shame; they sometimes feel reluctant there are no awareness, giving out the report because people don’t even know that they don’t want to appear in they have to go and get tested court to testify. Men mostly immediately, it is really sad.” don’t sympathise with victims An Investigative Officer of Child’s Rights Brigade International, CRiB, Dahot Yusuf said counselling of victims could reduce the trauma but many parents of minor always frustrate investigations processes because they don’t want to face what they call shame.

According to him: “Most times, evidences are not just enough to prosecute suspects because of lack of proper awareness. Parents should know that when something

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but such incident is not commonly heard among the natives.”

Dr. Patrick Daru of the Jos University Teaching Hospital, JUTH stated: “The rising cases of violation of children by adults, called paedophilia, deserve strong measures to address as a significant number of patients (minors) have been examined in the hospital and confirmed to have been raped but the recent strike action by health workers might have discouraged people from coming to the hospital as no recent case is registered in large number.”

Enlightenment, parental care to the rescue

of rape but either blame them or become indifferent.”

To stem the menace, the state Ministry of Women Affairs and Meanwhile the Acting Social Development said it has Chairman of Qua’an Pan embarked on enlightenment Traditional Council who is campaigns to alert parents also the Long Kwa, Miskagam and their children to this Ignatius Didel told VF: “In crime and how to avoid being Qua’an Pan, the case is not violated. Yusuf said: “Parents wide spread, but we only also have to spend more time record it around Namu area with their children, be closer because of the Fulani who to them and teach them migrated from Nassarawa about sex education early in State to stay with us there. life and have interest in who They seize things belonging their children’s friends are to farmers, kill them and rape and get the children positively girls and women. We are engaged to avoid idleness.” trying to arrest the situation

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Furthermore, Prof. ParaMallam advocated that: “Adequate laws should be put in place to protect girls.

Doctors, teachers, religious leaders, parents should be compelled by law to speak out but whoever covers up rape, especially of minor, should be punished by law.

livelihood/ survival and space (accommodation) by residents and potential dwellers has regrettably resulted in the high and unaffordable house rent demanded by shylock landlords and property vendors in the city, thereby forcing most accommodation seekers and urban dwellers “Police should be trained not to relocate to or prefer to live to re-victimize the victims at the less expensive suburbs surrounding rural and since Plateau State has and communities. domesticated the Child Rights Law, it should be applied The movement of mostly where appropriate to protect these low income earners and girl children and the pride of unemployed residents and womanhood.” their families as well as their cohabitation in these suburb and adjourning communities have come with its own challenges. Most of these challenges include rampant rape cases and abuse of the girl child.

High Rate OF Rape Incidents in Port Harcourt Suburbs

Port Harcourt the Rivers State Capital is a highly populated city of the oilrich state in Niger Delta, South-South, Nigeria. As an industrial city of the ‘’Treasure base of the Nation”, with great economic potentials, the population level continues in an upward surge, causing grave impact and pressure on the available infrastructure and facilities, including housing and the other social amenities and services. The palpable struggle for means of

social education in the society and failure of Government agencies and relevant institution to provide social security including employment and unemployment (skill) as well as physical security to the citizenry.

There are also obvious cases of compromise in the execution and application of legal instruments against indulgence in such morally and globally condemnable acts by the security agencies, particularly the police and the social Welfare (service) institutions and other relevant state apparatus. It cannot be over emphasized that some individuals who cannot afford paying for houses in well developed areas find themselves in shanty areas of water-sides where cases of Over the years, there have rape are on the high side. been frequent cases of rape and abuse of the girl child, high There are also dose of which occur in these obvious cases suburbs including the waterfronts and densely cohabited of compromise areas with shanties and other in the execution surrounding communities, on and application of development believed to be legal instruments encouraged by the poverty state of the people, indecent against indulgence lifestyle and unbefitting nature in such morally of their accommodation and and globally the environment in which condemnable acts they live, ignorance, and lack by the security of education of the people, agencies falling standard of values and

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The rate at which rape incidents occur in and within the suburb of Port Harcourt, especially in Diobu area is actually of great concern.

Diobu is a business and residential area in Port Harcourt with large population of artisans, students, unemployed and low income earners. It used to be a place where accommodation was less expensive compared to other parts of the city. It is an area where one room apartment could be occupied by an average of family members and friends.

experiences most often.

In most instances, these female hawkers are called by some men who pretend they want to buy items being hawked, only to forcefully take advantage of them. There are also cases where children also face this same abuse by some irresponsible fathers, uncles, brothers and maid guards.

According to section 357 of the Criminal Code Act of 2004 “Any person who has unlawful carnal knowledge of a woman or girl without her consent, or with her consent if the consent is obtained by force or by means of threat or intimidation of any kind or by fear of harm, or by means of false and fraudulent representation as to the nature of the act, or in the case of a married woman by personating her husband, is guilty of an offence which is called rape�.

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4) That the accused had the required men rea; that is, intention to have intercourse with a woman without her consent or that the accused acted recklessly not caring whether the woman consented or not.

5) Also, the prosecution must adduce evidence to corroborate the complaint made by the victim and although this is not required as a matter of law, it is in practice.

The law also states

Parents and guardians in a it clearly that the normal circumstance owe their children and wards that essential and responsibility to care for, most important and be very courteous of ingredient of the who plays around with them, the company they keep, and offence of rape who stays with them when is penetration, not at home, Diobu situation needs extra efforts, of care without which and attention by parents the prosecution is and guardian, because of considered failed, the vulnerability and obvious The law also outlined some threat in the case of rape and indices to measure the act of even though there rape as follows: defilements of girl child. is a proof of injury There have been several 1) That a man, the accused or rupture of the report of cases where children had sexual intercourse with a less than 12 years and below woman, the victim. hymen as in the are being cajoled or forced 2) That the act of intercourse case of a virgin. into a room or tight secluded was unlawful not being corners only to be raped. between husband and wife.

Female children hawking Section 358 of the same 3) That in giving the evidence in the street are also victim criminal Act of 2004 similarly intercourse complete provided some punishment of this tragic and traumatic of penetration is proved.

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for the offence of rape that: “Any person who commits the offence of rape is liable to imprisonment for live with or without canning.

As clearly defined by the law, there have been propellant cases of rape and related actions in and around the suburbs of Port Harcourt.

Cases such as fathers raping their children for ill-conceived and inexplicable reason best known to them, cases where full grown adults trap teenagers into their room through fake promises only to take advantage of them, some through threat and injection of fear.

For instance, early this year, precisely on the 12th of January, a case of one Mr. Opuwari Goodhead of Urualla in Diobu area of Port Harcourt who allegedly raped his 18-year-old daughter, name withheld, was reported to the Mile one police Station, Diobu, Port Harcourt.

An inspector of Police, who prefers anonymity, said they (the police) were called by the security chairman in charge of the area to arrest the suspect. The neighbours who witnessed the incidents said they heard noise of someone

struggling and being dragged as usual in Mr Goodhead’s house that evening and ran out to find out what was happening again.

Before now, the neighbours have complained of several occasions where the said man and the daughter have been engaging in physical dragging and arguments in a closed door. The neighbours complained that each time they knock the door to ask what the matter was between the daughter and father, the response by the father would always be that the daughter is stubborn, and needs iron hand to correct her. Warning them to mind their business that he, (the father) has the right to train his child the way he wants. Unknown to the neighbours that these have always been attempts to rape the girl.

An interaction with the victim (the daughter) revealed that the father came back from work that Monday morning and asked her to give him water for his bath which she did. She disclosed that after having his bath, the father went inside to dress up when suddenly he called her into the room for unexplained reason.

“I went into the room, thinking he needed my assistance on anything. “When I went inside, he pushed me to the bed and began to rape me as usual, so I began to struggle with him before neighbours heard my voice and came out demanding that he open the door else they will break it.” She said the fear of neighbours breaking the door to meet the father naked, made him leave her alone to have his dress on. It was then she had the opportunity to run out of the house to tell the neighbours what took

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place, and who immediately Mr Goodhead said he was only reported the matter to the trying to take his own share of police station. the contribution and sacrifice The suspect was arrested and for nurturing and taking care detained in the police cell for of the girl from birth.

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Rivers State during the period the incident took place An interaction with a lawyer, and human rights activist, Barr. Prudence of Human Rights, Social Development and Environment Foundation (HURSDEF) in Port Harcourt, revealed that the case of rape is frequently reported to their Organisation. She disclosed some ordeals and challenges they encounter as Human rights organisation in tackling the issues of rape in the area.

proper investigation on the Meanwhile, the innocent matter. girl who never knew the During an interview after his alleged history thought she release from detention, the was staying with her father. suspect revealed that he was She also disclosed that not the biological father of the what made the mother to girl as reported at the station. leave the marriage was the He narrated how he fell in love father’s uncontrollable urge with the mother of the victim for sex within the first two to some years back, ignorant of three weeks of baby delivery. the fact that she was pregnant According to her, the mother Barr. Prudence disclosed until he asked her hand in could not endure it that was that the strike by Rivers marriage before she opened why she left the marriage. State Judiciary staff was up to him that she was two She was left with the younger among other things, the main months pregnant before their brother to stay with the father, challenge, as victims and even while the mother only visits to suspects are denied quick relationship started. give them food items. justice. “Several cases of rape According to Mr. Goodhead,“ because I loved her, I told her The suspect was released are kept pending awaiting not to worry, and also not to from police cell because there court resumption. It is really a abort the baby, that I will be was nobody to prosecute or serious challenge” she added. the father if only she will accept follow-up the case coupled my proposal. The lady agreed with the closure of courts in to keep the pregnancy, and we both cohabited and had two more children, plus the first The police are particularly concerned one she came with making about collecting money from the victims three”. The suspect said he began to feel cheated when and subsequently grant them bail. the mother left the marriage, that she may one day decide to take the daughter to the She cited the case of one wife, who was staying with rightful father and he will Mr Christopher Wisben of them. She said this case was lose out after spending all his resources to take care of the No 6, Bernard Car Street in reported to them last year, but girl from birth till maturity. Borokiri, Port Harcourt, who no action has been taken also That was the reason he raped was reported to have raped because of the closure of the her. a 13-year-old niece of the courts in Rivers State, pleading

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that Rivers State Government should do something about the resumption of judicial and legal service in court in the State to enable proper and prompt prosecution of all new and pending case.

been doing to her. The case was reported last year at the Azikiwe Police Station by his wife. But it was revealed that the police, instead of looking into the case and punishing the suspect according to Another challenge disclosed the law, told her to go home

by Barr. Prudence was and settle her family issue. the attitude of the Police Collected money from the concerning granting of bail to suspect (the husband) and the suspects. She pointed out granted him bail. that, rather than committedly The woman said the fear of and sincerely helping in going home to live under fighting the menace, the police the same roof with the so are particularly concerned called husband made her about collecting money from stay separately with her two the victims and subsequently children. According to the grant them bail. mother, the four-year-old girl She revealed a recent case that was reported to them about one Mr Ndidi Alfred, popularly known as “Pepper” who resides No. 12b, Adelegbu in Diobu, who was reported to have been consistently fingering her two children of (four and six) years in the mother’s absent, telling them not to tell their Mother (his wife) else there will be no biscuit for them to school. On a particular day, the 6-yearold child had to open up to the mother what the father has

was tested and found infected with staphylococcus infection and the hymen ruptured, which means there is more to the story than what the little girl could open up to the mother.

Barr. Prudence said the case was reported to them on the 21st January, 2015 when the said man (suspect) went back to threaten the woman to bring back her children. This time, she chose to run to the Human Rights body since the police could not handle the case the first time.

We are only human right advocates. We can’t be the judge. We can only do the best we can to take up the matter and leave the court to pass judgement The Barr. said the human rights group at the time of this report, has taken up the case, with letter of petition, copying the Commissioner of Police, Rivers state, the DPO Azikiwe, mile 1 Police station, Ministry of Women Affairs, Senate Committee on Women Affairs, Ministry of Social Welfare and

Rehabilitation, and Inspector General of Police concerning the case. “We are only human right advocates. We can’t be the judge. We can only do the best we can to take up the matter and leave the court to pass judgement, but the situation where court has not been sitting for more than

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eight months becomes a big The Woji police station in Port challenge,” she said.

Harcourt of one Mr Iboro, who tricked her nine-year-old daughter to buy him biscuit, so many cases of only for Iboro forcefully close her mouth, open her two rape reported at legs and raped her because, the police station according to the mother she was putting on a gown.

come with no evidence at all to prove it was rape

Meanwhile, a police Inspector in charge of Juvenile/ Family unit in one of the police stations where the investigation was carried out, in her bid to counter the allegation about Police compromise and collection of bribe to release the suspect said, so many cases of rape reported at the police station come with no evidence at all to prove it was rape. She added that the victims ignorantly allow some days after the incident has taken place before coming to the station to report, she also disclosed that some reports are made because the suspects probably refused to pay for the damages as agreed for the case to be called off. “This is when you see them (victims and family members) coming to the station to report”. She said.

The mother of the victim said that was not the first time the same Iboro had raped her child. The first time, she said, Iboro promised to treat the girl and pay for every damages but later refused to comply, “This is why this time around I decided to come to the station so that he will pay for the damages he has caused on my daughter”. The victim’s mother stressed

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victims of rape do not even report the matter to either the Police or human Rights organisation or other security, or social workers to prosecute the case on their behalf. It is also obvious that teenagers conceal their terrible experiences from their parents and guardians until some issues like pregnancy, sickness and other health related complications occur before they open up.

Similarly, a case of a 16-yearold girl, also raped late last year by two men around their vicinity was reported recently at the Nkpolu Police station in Port Harcourt. The victim disclosed that the first rape took place in Nov. 2014, when Another defence by the police she was coming back from on the allegation of releasing school. culprit was that, the law does Blessing is a primary five not permit them to detain pupil, who can neither read suspects more than 24hrs in nor write. She disclosed her the cell, if not proven guilty of ordeals thus: That on her way the offence. “This is why we coming back from school one release them in order not to day, a little boy ran to her to infringe on their right too.” tell her that someone was The police source explained. calling her, but she refused to She also pointed out that in pay attention to the first caller. most cases the both parties She said it was when the agree to come together second person came insisting for compromise to avoid that she attends to the call stigmatization. These and that she decided to see who many other factors warrant was calling her. “When I got the release of suspects by the into the house he pushed Police. me to the bed, increased the Some time last year, a mother Investigation into this subject volume of his radio and raped reported the case of rape at matter also proved that some me,” she said disclosing that

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According to the Police, it was also revealed that some parents set their children to be raped by men all in the bit to make money. That is why they do not allow some of these cases to be taken to the court.

she was scared to inform the mother of her ugly experience.

The question therefore is, must these trend be allowed to continue, considering the trauma and damage to who is responsible for the womanhood and, and lifetime pregnancy, she will ensure her damage to their image in the daughter stays with the man as family and the society? a wife, expressing angrily that In view of the following, it she cannot feed her with the becomes expedient and baby. “Let her suffer and know imperative that serious what it takes to be a mother” advocacy and sensitisation she said angrily. But the victim campaigns be carried out in disclosed to this source that this area to save the life of the she has already made up her girl child. mind to abort the baby in order http://www.nationalnetworkonline.com/ vol12n6/crime.html to go back to school.

The second rape incident on the girl took place December last year carried out by a different man. In January 2015 she discovered she was pregnant, but not sure of who is responsible between the two rapists. She reported the case to the police from where she was referred for a scan by the police in charge, so that the Investigations have also real father of the baby will be revealed on the subject that known. some cases of rape are by the At the police station, the mother masterminded victims.

Some of the victims of the victim told the police officer in charge of the case intentionally keep themselves that the moment she knows in mood that encourages and

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We Were Violated and Forced to Keep Quiet

by Ojoma Akor Feb. 15, 2015

In recent years there has been increased incidences of sexual violence against women and girls, particularly rape and child sexual abuse, in Nigeria. The attacks occur in the streets, in schools and in the work place, and with the raging insurgency in the North East of the country, incidences of rape and forced abductions have heightened but what is most worrying is the denial of justice to these victims.

“I was gang-raped when I was 13 by seven men somewhere in Lagos when I was in secondary school.

I know people would ask whether the story is true. Yes, it is really. Mind you I was 13 from a Muslim home and with my long Hijab because I know some people would ask, ‘what was she wearing when it happened. I pretend as if it

never happened, but moving on wasn’t so easy with the stigma,” narrated Habiba (not full name) to this report.

She and her family reported the matter to the police, but she was denied access to justice and the perpetrators didn’t get punished because of the challenges that came her way.

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According to her, “I never got any form of justice against the perpetrators because I didn’t even know who they were. I have attempted suicide several times. Life can’t possibly be any worse.

Today, physically I’ve made a full recovery, but emotionally, when I hear about rape or child molestation I get really depressed.”

She accused the police of denying her justice, adding that “trust the Nigerian police, the first thing they asked when we reported was ‘wetin you sef wear? what where you wearing?’ With that questions they were asking as if it was my fault, we just gave up the case.”

The incident happened 20 years ago and she watched with dismay today as many more women and girls in the country still face the pain of sexual violence and denial of justice.

“I thought it would have been over by now but they are still where they used to be . It happened 20 years ago and yet they haven’t changed. It is just sad. I have a rape case I am dealing with now, the police are my main problem,” she said.

son of a family friend but she and her parents were advised by relatives not to report to the police and not to go to court because it would publicize the rape and she would become a victim of stigmatisation as well, hampering her chances of marriage.

likely to have experienced sexual violence (17%), while unemployed women are least likely (6%). Women with no education are less likely to have experienced sexual violence (5%) than women who have been to school (810%).

“I was told not to allow myself be pointed at by people as the girl that was raped because even when people know you are innocent or a victim, hardly would any man want to marry you or allow their relative marry you.”

The NDHS also showsthat in the majority of cases, sexual violence is perpetrated by individuals with close personal relations to the woman, either their current husband or partner, former husband or partner, or current or former boyfriend. Women who have never been married report that the main perpetrators of sexual violence are strangers.

The 2013 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) indicates that violence against women is a common practice in Nigeria.

According to the survey “seven percent of Nigerian women age 15-49 have ever experienced sexual violence of which three percent have experienced sexual violence in the past 12 months. Women who are divorced, separated, or widowed are more likely to have ever experienced sexual violence (15%) than women who have never been married (8%) or are currently married (7%). Experience of sexual violence varies by zone, from 16% in North East Zone to 2% in North West Zone.”

Head of Legal Unit Women’s Rights Advancement and Protection Alternative, (WRAPA) Barrister James Oluwashegun said an average of 80 to 100 women come to WRAPA office each year to lodge complaints of sexual violence both at home and also in office places.

Statistics from the Mirabel centre, a sexual violence referral centre in Lagos shows that as of last week, 515 clients had received treatment from the centre. Majority of who were minors, between the ages of 11 and 15.

In the case of 18-yearold Christy, another rape The survey showed that Investigations by this reporter victim,she was raped by the women who are employed reveal that laws on sexual but not paid in cash are most

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violence and the justice system, internal displacement, the evidence act and standard of prove, way and manner cases are handled by law enforcement officers, the stigmatization of victims of sexual violence in our society and the culture of silence, cost of prosecution, stipulations for medical reports from doctors from government hospitals,interference by relatives or members of religious organizations, culpability of schools and other organizations.

In the case of Mairo, a student of a polytechnic in one of the states in the north-west zone of the country, she was constantly harassed by one of her lecturers who told her she must sleep with him to pass his course. She refused to yield. She later sat for her examinations.

of the people concerned.

All her attempts to get the school authorities to link it to the lecturer met a brick wall.

She had to rewrite the paper However, when the results another year. were published, she saw Veronica is an undergraduate ‘absent’ in the lecturer’s student of a university. In her course. After taking steps to case the lecturergrabbed her prove from her examination in his office and attempted card and the attendance to rape her. She succeeded list that she did write the in escaping from him and exam,the school came up immediately reported him with the verdict of missing to the security unit and her script. She believed the department. However, she lecturer threw away her script began to be bullied from and manipulated the school the next day by her school authorities and the whole mates and other people who investigation process because branded her a liar. of connivance from some

She didn’t have the confidence to follow up the case with the police because she was told the man didn’t rape her as there was no prove of penetration. No efforts were made to investigate further about her clothes or the body contact. She wrote the lecturer’s course and failed for two consecutive years, and she would have continued failing and never graduated if not that the lecturer got a job with another school.

Deputy Director and Head of the Focal Areas Unit, National Human Rights Commission, Barrister Aver Gavar, explained that in a case handled by the

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commission in the Federal Capital Territory(FCT), a six year old girl was defiled by a neighbour.

was read out to the accused person,and usually whoever pleads guilty to an offence and asks for mitigation is She saidthere appeared to entitled to mitigation or be acompromise on the part lessened punishment having of law enforcement officers said yes to the offence. in the area of charging, because, when the case was Gavar said the penalty given taken to court,even though to the man was reduced to a there were eye witnesses, finebecause the charge was a lesser offence of assault wrong.

In cases where fathers defile their daughters, their relatives , the clergy and members of their congregation always come to mount pressure on us to discontinue the case “The judge had no knowledge of what happened along the way. He worked with what was brought before him. This brought the parents of the victim to the commission. The commission enlightened the judge and called for a review and right now the accused person is facing prosecution for rape which is the offence and not assault,” she said.

In the case of another five year old girl,she was raped by someone in the neighbourhood while her father travelled. Her mother

immediately reported the matter to the police and the culprit was arrested. But when the child’s father returned from his journey and was told what happened in his absence he was very mad at his wife for reporting the matter to the police .

continue the case at the police station and the perpetrator just walked free.

Narrating her own story, Celestina, an unemployed secondary school certificate holder was raped by a man who promised to help her get a job. He asked her to meet him in his hotel room for a note to the head of the organization that will give her a job only for him to lock the door immediately she entered and rape her. She rushed home, promptly took her bath, washed the clothes she wore and then went to report to a policeman she knows. However, he told her she may not get the redress she seeks because she has disposed the evidence.

Mrs Arigbeon her part constantly suffers sexual violence from her spouse.

He does not believe that she has any right to refuse him whenever he wants to sleep with her. Whenever she is tired or sick and pleads with him, he violently rapes her and proceeds to dehumanize her by flogging her, stripping He promptly divorced her her naked infront of people in and sent her packing from his the compound and pouring house saying she has brought water on her. All her efforts dis-honour to the family by to access justice has failed so making the issue public and far because our current laws it might affect the future of does not recognize that a the child. The family didn’t man can rape his wife.

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So she can only charge him for assault and battery and not marital rape.

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Men Leaders to end Violence Partnership for Justice said it Against Women (VAW) said , “ can be looked at from three there is no passing day we do different perspectives. not have reports in the print She said on the side of the media, radio and television survivor of rape, he or she on one form of gender is faced with self -blame or based violence or the other guilt and is ashamed of what especially rape, however there happened. “As a result, the A source who does not is paucity of data , as only a survivor will not speak out want to be named said her fraction of the actual number about the incident or seek organisation has handled of cases are reported. Most several cases of sexual violence but always faces challenges helping the victims involving incest, “ In cases where fathers defile their daughters, their relatives , the clergy and members of their congregation always come to mount pressure on us to discontinue the case , they often say the man is possessed or afflicted by the devil, and they will pray for him or take him for ‘deliverance’ or that they will handle it at family level. When we refuse they mount pressure on the victims and their families and the prosecution process is Head Focal Areas Unit National Human Rights Commission, Barrister Aver Gavar frustrated,” she said. victims are unwilling to report professional help. Further is the violence against them the issue of stigmatization, because of shame and social where the community or Minister of Women Affairs stigma, which has led to the immediate family members and Social Development , very few cases being brought blame the victim and mount Hajiya Zainab Maina in her to courts in Nigeria for justice.” pressure on the victim to drop address during the launch of the case.” the Report on the analysis of domestic violence module Eze-Anaba said from the of the National Demographic Speaking on the impediments perspective of the alleged Health Survey (NDHS) 2008 to women and girls accessing perpetrator is the threat to the and the inauguration of UN justice in Nigeria, MrsItoroEze- victim and his/her loved ones Secretary General’s Network of Anaba , Managing Partner at

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“Where the victim reports to the police and the police for whatever reason decides not to prosecute and sets the perpetrator free,the wrong signal is sent that it is ok to She said the perpetrator rape. This leads to a high level also blackmails the victim of impunity o cases of sexual and members of the family. assault and rape,” she added.

“The long judicial process is also not victim friendly.

Five years is a long time for many victims to go through the court system and the language of the court at times is not friendly. This undue delay leads to memory loss and apathy on the part of the parties and the witnesses,” said Eze-Anaba.

Is it to deal with the pain, shame and

Speaking in agreement withEze-Anaba, Deputy Director and Head of the Focal Areas Unit, National Human Rights Commission, Barrister Aver Gavar, said most of our women are culturally inhibited so they lack the confidence to go forward and lodge their complaints

and this is more fundamental when the survivor is a minor and she is brainwashed into believing that if she informs anyone, her parents or loved ones will die.

trauma of having been raped or to deal with the fact that they have to look for money to provide for law enforcement agents so that their matters can be investigated A third perspective according to her is that government institutions charged with the responsibility for arrest, prosecution and care for the survivor do not have capacity to carry out its responsibility.

She said the police do not have the capacity to investigate cases of rape and the officers are not trained on how to deal with survivors. In many cases, the police depend on the victim to provide evidence of rape and where this is not possible, the suspect is set free. The police also encourage the parties to

settle out of court thereby She said the law enforcement preventing prosecution of system is not familiar with such cases. justice in this kind of cases and sometimes when the case comes up the police might She said the courts only just advise the person to go accept medical reports from and handle it at the domestic government hospitals and level or reconcile, this and victims are usually reluctant other factors makes the victim to go through the unpleasant or her parents or guardian to experience of getting a medical just give up. report from the government hospital. The long period of time wasted to see a doctor “The justice system is also not and the lack of specialized care favourable to the victim of and treatment in government sexual violence.For instance, in a given case of rape so hospitals prevent victims from many steps will be taken, it seeking help in government will involve talking to a police hospitals. officer, a doctor and many

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people along the way so the victim is repeating this story over and over and the story itself is very traumatizing.

Sometimes when she reports, her dressing seems to be the issue. “Was she

dressed in such a way that the rapist was attracted to her?” At the domestic level has she been flirting with this uncle? In the first place she is met with suspicion, most of the times,” Gavar explained.

...from the police perspective, what makes victims of sexual violence not to access justice is the culture of silence.

She said on the legal perspective, the standard of prove of rape is very high and involves physical evidence, substances of evidence that cannot survive even a day and this case is going to be finally heard in another month or two making it humiliating for the victim.

people go to the police station one way that the police use to extort money from the citizens is to either ask for money, for file, biro,or paper and of course if you go and report a case, beforethe police even step out of their station to go and visit the site where the crime took place or investigate National President of the , they will say you need to pay International Federation for their transportation. of Women lawyers, Mrs HauwaShekarau said the two major impediments to Sexual violence in women’s access to justice is the life of a female the culture of silence and the cost ofaccessing justice.

She said once a victim is bold enough to break the culture of silence she begins to run helter-skelter to look for money to give to the police so that they can go and arrest the perpetrator “Today in our country when

has very grave and

grievous psychological consequences which could range from depression

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“So if you are a victim, which one do you want to deal with? Is it to deal with the pain, shame and trauma of having been raped or to deal with the fact that they have to look for money to provide for law enforcement agents so that their matters can be investigated and the culprits brought to book? We need to do a lot more so that these barriers are completed removed, ” she said.

Shekarau said the VAPP Bill will address a lot of problems and also has provision that recognizes marital rape.

Explaining the laws on sexual violence in the country, Executive Director, Women Advocates’ Research and Documentation Center (WARDC) Dr. Abiola AkiyodeAfolabi said victims of sexual violence face laws that are inadequate and out-dated.

“For example, the Penal Law, applicable in the North, defines rape in a way that limits recourse for women and girls who are raped by a foreign object or who were penetrated orally or anally.

Under the Criminal Code, charges of rape of a girl under 13 years old must be brought

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67 all sense of seriousness and that is why gender desks were established in the police force to address all cases of violence against women.

He said the police does not trivialise the issue of rape because the police has respect for the women folk.

He said from the police what makes Executive Director, Women Advocates Research and Development Centre, WARDC, perspective, Dr. Akiyode Afolabi victims of sexual violence not within two months of the practically impossible: Sharia to access justice is the culture rape. Differences in federal, law requires a witness to the of silence. state, Sharia and customary rape.” legal systems also undermine Habiba, a survivior said Our investigations show a woman’s ability to seek Nigerian laws are not that internal displacement redress,” she said. helping the rape victims at does not only make women She said the Federal all. “Approximately from my susceptible to sexual violence Constitution does not research eight percent of but it is also usually difficult for specifically prohibit rape, reported rapes in Nigeria lead women to access justice when and the Northern Penal to a conviction. As a result, they are internally displaced Code and the Southern most rapists walk freely and and sexually violated.

Criminal Code set out the majority of rape survivors different definitions of rape do not have access to legal and different punishments, justice to end this and more Insurgency, flood and creating discrepancies within the Nigerian Senate should communal clashes have led the country. The Criminal please pass the Violence to an increased number of Code defines rape as Against Persons Prohibition displacedfamilies in the last “carnal knowledge” without (VAPP) Bill into law.” four years. Several women consent, implying any type and girls have been abducted of penetration; thus, women and used as sex slaves as a FCT Police Public Relations in the South have greater result of the insurgency in protection than their Northern Officer, ASP Anjuguri Manzah- the north-east of the country counterparts. Further, some said the Nigerian police treats particularly in Borno, Yobe laws make prosecution cases of sexual violence with and Adamawa states.

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Most of such victims and their families are unwilling to speak on their experiences when they manage to escape or ever get justice against the perpetrators.

Barrister Aver Gavar of the National Human Rights Commission said when she led an inter-agency visit to internally displaced camps in Makurdi , Benue State , during the farmers-herders clashes in the state , some girls sought audience with her and complained that some of them had been raped and others have faced sexual harassment from people who want to sleep with them before they can receive relief materials,and the state ministry of justice is already looking into the case

Department of Psychiatry, National Hospital, Abuja , Dr. Ubong Etudoh said “sexual violence in the life of a female has very grave and grievous psychological consequences which could range from depression. By depression I mean low mood, low energy.

She will have loss of interest in recreational/ pleasurable activities, spells, feelings of hopelessness, worthlessness, guilt feelings,and may eventuallywant to commit suicide because of the consequences of this violence.”

Speaking on the effects of sexual violence on victims, and especially when denied Justice, Senior Registrar,

He said a victim have acute stress which could lead traumatic stress

can also disorder to post disorder

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because people that have been sexually violated tend to have flash backs of the episodes, they tend to be fearful, hypersensitive, have tremors, nightmares, poor sleep , and all these can also affect the way they relate to the opposite sex as they have resentment for men and prevent them from getting married and having their own families.

He also said when a victim is denied justice, the psychological effects are not too different from the act of sexual violence itself.

He said they could also have the problem of adjustment disorder “that is they are not able to adjust to the fact that the society has left the perpetrator of this act to go free.” www.dailytrust.com.ng/sunday/index. php/feature/19606-we-were-violatedand-forced-to-keep-quiet/

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Female Genital Mutilation Thrives in Secrecy - Part One

By Olutosin Adebowale

Olutosin Adebowale reports on FGM and explores the reasons for the perpetuation of the practice.

Correspondent for Safeworld. TRIGGER WARNING: the following article describes female genital mutilation and male circumcision in detail.

O

yo State – Western Nigeria We sat on a long bench amongst Baba Oloola’s clients-inwaiting.

This is Oloola Akande’s house: he is the first in the lineage of his present

Oloola’s family. His great grandfather and grandfather were the leaders of Oloolas in the Yoruba kingdom, Western Nigeria. In front of the compound is the giant picture of his great grandfather on the wall.

‘Kobomoje’

They are well known for making bodily incisions on children who suffer convulsions. This has earned them the popular name kobomoje, which literally means that ‹bodily scarification does not

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destroy/spoil the beauty of a a very old building, that has child›. witnessed centuries in years, Baba Oloola is a professional it must have also witnessed herbalist who takes care the successful mutilation of of all bodily ailments; thousands of innocent girls. according to him, he is an Girls of different ages and expert in child delivery, and sizes who had screamed he is well known for his under the sharp knife of skilled generational roots and herbs for curing this lineage of Oloolas (traditional convulsions in the traditional genital way, by making incisions ‘circumciser’/female on the sick people’s bodies ‘cutter’).

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Traditional Law

When it was our turn, we explained our mission to Baba Oloola and he decided to sit with us outside. He sat on a bench that was facing us before he informed us that his great grandmother, who was the first Oloola, was buried right under the bench which we sat. According to him, his great grandmother was the last female Oloola in the family, because after his great grandmother, women were banned from the Oloola’s profession as that was when they get married: their skills were automatically transferred to their sons – and daughters were not the direct descendants of Oloola.

(indigenous scarification and body markings in traditional medicine) and ethnic facial As we waited for our turn to marks. meet and speak with Baba Above all, he circumcises male Oloola, I began to think about children and cuts females’ the law that has criminilised genitals, too. female genital mutilation [FGM] in Africa, which Nigeria is a party to, even as female Both female and genital mutilation thrives in At the inception of the this part of Africa. male children’s discussion, Baba Oloola said genitals must Article 5 of the Protocol to the that both female and male African Charter on Human children’s genitals must be be cut on the People’s Rights on the cut on the seventh day. This seventh day. This and Rights of Women in Africa is the tradition and according is the tradition titled Elimination of Harmful to him, that is how it would and according to Practices states: remain forever. He revealed that there are more than him, that is how Parties shall take all necessary 200 Oloola like him in the it would remain legislative and other measures town and each of them cuts to eliminate such practices, forever. female genitals. He gave a including: (b) prohibition, comprehensive analysis and through legislative measures Looking around the backed by sanctions, of all forms an assurance that he would compound reminds me of our of female genital mutilation, even allow us to witness and video record the cutting of house in the village: it’s built scarification, medicalisation with hand-molded brown and para-medicalisation of the next female child that is mud. Not cemented and yet female genital mutilation and brought into his compound displaying the beauty of a rural all other practices in order to the following morning.

African village. Although it is eradicate them.

African Charter

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According to him, cutting the flesh that covers the clitoris of a female genital in the presence of everyone will prove to the world that female genital mutilation is the right thing to do for every girl child; it is the only practical aspect of his work that would convince a doubting Thomas that a female child’s genital must be cut.

He promised to allow us to be present at a female genital cutting the next day. However, there was no female customer the following day; we decided to pay him another visit to do the video recording of a female genital cutting.

the community because according to their belief and culture, it is a shame to leave a girl child uncut. He further revealed that his grandfather had laid it down, and it must be followed because the Quran says, “Woe unto a son who rejected his father’s profession.”

The baby was laid naked on the table and he began the minor surgery on the boy. He told us that the sharp knife is what he uses for both female and male cutting and the general body cutting for anyone suffering from convulsion.

He pointed out that it is written in the Bible that every child should be circumcised and that, according to him, the unidentified verse says e ko omo na ni ila which literally means “circumcise the child”. Within a few minutes, he cut the foreskin, pushed the skin downward to expose the whitThere are more than six ish “germ” underneath the young men between the ages foreskin. According to him, of 25 to 40 working for Baba the whitish substance causes Oloola and, he explained, everlasting scratching if any they are his lineage - either child is not cut or circumcised his siblings or his sons, and as the case may be. they are all interested in following their grandfather’s path.

As this point, a woman came in to book an appointment to cut her girl child the following morning, she had only a thousand naira and Baba Oloola refused the amount and the woman walked away to search for a lesser Oloola, who will happily accept a thousand naira.

Inside Baba Oloola’s pocket is a very sharp knife which was revealed when it was time to circumcise a baby boy after an accepted negotiation. The short and sharp knife was wrapped with a rag. He is the Baba Oloola boasted that only custodian of the knife, he there is no single girl whose only releases it whenever he genital is not mutilated in is too busy to work.

Circumcising a Baby Boy

Using Religion to Justify Mutilation

The baby boy gave Baba Oloola the opportunity to display his skill in our presence and he invited us to a small table that was placed at the center of the compound.

After the Cutting

After the cutting, a black substance known as adeje (ada eje) – a concoction that stops bleeding, was applied on the penis; it is a black powder. After which a rag was used to wrap it, according to him, the rag will be removed on the third day and ‘eko’ (which is a stable food in Nigeria, made from corn paste) will be mixed with alum and used to wash the genital until it is clean. When it is clean, the mother will begin to apply engine oil on it for four days.

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Nigerian Law

In Nigeria, there is no federal law banning Female Genital Mutilation or cutting, but Section 34(1)(a) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria that states, ‘no person shall be subjected to torture or inhuman or degrading treatment,’ as the basis for banning the practice in Nigeria.

Nigerians continue to practice female genital mutilation out of ignorance and the general belief that women who are not mutilated are promiscuous.

Type 1 is the removal of the clitoral hood with or without removal of all or part of the clitoris.

Gruesome Realities -Types of FGM

There are three major and different types of female genital mutilation in Nigeria: Baba Oloola explained further that the removal of the clitoral hood is what he practices and this cannot be done by any medical doctor because it is the work of Oloola alone. He gave four major reasons why the hood must remove it: In order to remove some

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whitish germs that hides under the hood which causes severe scratching in the vagina.

The hood has the capacity to grow long and each time it touches the pants of the girl child; she immediately develops a sexual urge.

The hood causes promiscuity.

It is the injunction written in the holy books and must be adhered to.

If a girl child is not mutilated when she grows up, she will deliver a still-birth baby.

Type 2 is the removal of the clitoris together with part or all of the labia minora which is also known as the inner vaginal lips.

Type 3 is the removal of part or all of the external genitalia, clitoris, labia minora and labia majora and stitching or narrowing of the vaginal opening, leaving a very small opening, to allow for the flow of urine and menstrual blood.

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‘Agbomola’

In as much as Baba Oloola’s ignorance cannot be excused, the fact still remains that he has enough misinformation to lead millions of people astray in the 21st century.

He has a conviction that is sustaining him spiritually, economically, socially and politically. He is well respected as both the spiritual leader and a community leader.

His clients hold him in high esteem and most of them refer to him as Agbomola, which means the saviour of a child.

If the general populace has enough correct, adequate and relevant information about female genital mutilation, Baba Oloola will live without a client who needs his service to mutilate female genitals.

Perpetuating the Myth - FGM as ‘Prevention’ of Promiscuity and Sex Trafficking An uneducated/semi educated, educated but culturally immersed mother, whose only

convincing information about female genital mutilation is ijoba ni ko need ki a maa dabe fomobirin mo which means, our government says there is no need to mutilate the genital of a female child, does not have any genuine reason to stop Oloola from mutilating her daughter’s genitals.

Passage of law is varied, and radio, television, newspaper announcements are very good ways of warning people against genital mutilation, but adequate information, engaging parents – especially mothers and health workers, in continuous empowerment programmes and constant work and talk with the religious institutions in order to change Baba Oloola continues to reit- their mindsets about this erate his easy answer to that issue are some of the genuine statement as: measures of ending female ‘Is it the government who genital mutilation. helped you to carry the pregnancy for nine months or the Female genital cutting can government will soon help only end in Nigeria if there is you to repatriate your pro- a mindset shift from parochial about gender miscuous uncut girl from Italy beliefs when she turns to a dog in the inequality. www.asafeworldforwomen.org/globalnearest future?’ news/africa/nigeria/4778-fgm-part-1. html

It’s crucial to engage parents to bring about change in mindset

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Female Genital Mutilation Thrives in Secrecy - Part Two

By Olutosin Oladosu Adebowale Jan 14, 2015

Ondo State –

Western Nigeria

The journey into the secrecy shrouding Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) continued into Ondo State.

My first point of stop was

Akure, the state capital.

I stopped at High Court area, to pay homage to a respectable community leader:

advised me to search for girls who were NOT cut; according to Pa Josiah, “Every girl child here is cut”.

Pa Josiah Bola. At the elder’s compound, he

This, according to him, is the acceptable custom.

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Dangerous Myths According to him, genital mutilation is a cut that curtails the clitoris from growing. He said that it is a common belief that the clitoris will grow to become a female penis if it is not cut. He narrated his experience, when he was a pupil. He said that there were girls who were not cut and they were always ashamed to swim with their mates because they were referred to as hermaphrodites. Their clitoris – according to him, grew like the size of their male counterparts’ penises in those days.

He went further that there are worms that grow underneath the clitoris skin and when it is cut, the worms would be expelled and this ends the scratching of the genitals.

He directed me to his son, Mr. Gbenga Josiah (Baba Esther Josiah) at Abusoro a suburb of Akure. On getting to Abusoro, Baba Esther and his wife corroborated Pa Josiah’s assumption.

Esther’s father, Mr. Gbenga Josiah, who was pleasant, said that although he was at first against the cutting of his last female girl child’s genitals, he could not stand the itching

she was three years and few months old. It was his mother in-law (wife’s mother) who held Esther when her genitals were being cut because her Mr. Gbenga Josiah said that screaming was deafening and his last girl child is four years heartrending. She has known old and her genitals were cut pain at that age, he said. last year, when according Mr. Gbenga, just like his father, to her mother, Mrs. Josiah, believes that there are some said, “Being uncut made her worms inside the clitoris, which bed-wet and she was always were removed by the nurse. In scratching her genitals in his words: school; her teacher reported “She removed the worms her to me, too.” He said Esther from underneath the clitoris, was cut at the age of three wrapped it in a tissue paper years and few months. and gave it to my mother-inTherefore, he approached a law. We threw it inside the nurse who helped them to toilet,” he concluded. cut the last girl’s genitals when and bedwetting, which he said was caused by not mutilating her genitals. He has three daughters, all genitally mutilated.

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‘Selling’ FGM

Mr Gbenga Josiah went further to say that it is a shame to leave a girl child’s genitals uncut; to him, it costs only N2,000 and that is too cheap to become unaffordable for a good parent.

As he was talking, a girl child of about a year old passed by and he pointed to the girl “Look at this girl: her hand is forever inside her pants, scratching her vagina and crying at the same time because her parents could not spare N2,000” he continued. “The cutting will stop the scratching” he said.

She also confirmed that all her daughters were cut and if she has another baby girl, she would ensure that she is cut, too, because, every mother cuts her girl child in this city.

Churches Promoting FGM

In Abusoro, it was revealed by young mothers that many churches who have midwives in their missions’ house also help mothers to cut their daughters’ genitals. It costs only N2,000 for non-members, but it is usually free for church members.

Mr. Gbenga said as a matter This led the investigation of fact that it is only poverty to become more and more that can stop a girl child from interesting. I was in a city where being cut.

it is not easy to find a “girl uncut”; I agreed later on to investigate when I traveled further.

Hospital Nurses Perpetuating FGM Behind Closed Doors Mrs. Gbenga Josiah confirmed that nurses in government hospitals will refuse to perform genital mutilation to a girl child in the hospital’s premises.. She added that some of them will even warn parents not to cut their daughters’ genitals while in the hospital, but these same nurses will go behind to give their house address to the The next day, the journey took mothers – this is where they me straight to Ala Quarters, at will mutilate the girls. the hair dressing salon in the junction. The hairdresser had She smiled as she rounded her baby’s daughter’s genitals off her statement.

Senior Matron in a Rural Government Hospital ‘Mummy Matron’

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cut, too. She is from Benue State where it is forbidden, but she is married to a man who is from Ilara Mokin, in Ondo State where it is the tradition.

She traveled to Ilara Mokin for the girl’s genital cutting.

At Ilara Mokin, the procedure for interview was too cumbersome because an official letter must be presented to the king before we could access information about genital mutilation in the town.

Moving further into Ala, we were directed to a senior matron in one of the government hospitals in rural Iju-Akure. She denied cutting any girl child in Iju and its environment but confided that she ‘circumcised’ her granddaughter who is less than five months old. As she was talking, she invited her daughter into her sitting room.

Her daughter, Mercy, came out from one of the rooms with her granddaughter Elizabeth in her arms.

The matron collected the baby girl, removed the baby girl’s diaper, and opened her vagina to expose a mutilated clitoris that was actually cut but perfectly healed. The wound is healed but the effect is lifelong. The baby smiled

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without knowing what awaits towards me and said “Is it the her in the future. government that helped me According to Mummy Matron, to give birth to my children, as she is called, she would or is it the government that not circumcise other people’s will help me to stop her children but she would promiscuity when the time cut the genitals of all her arrives?” She walked closer granddaughters. Mercy, her as she asked her rhetorical daughter, who is Elizabeth’s questions.

fact that she will continuously scratch her genitals and insert objects into the vagina.” When asked if she cut her daughter’s genitals, she responded positively and even went ahead to reveal that she had a daughter at Ilawe Ekiti, where FGM is against the law and was disallowed.

When confronted with the fact that it is not the cultural practice of Kogi people to cut their daughters’ genitals, she refuted the statement as fallacious because there are many tribes amongst the Kogis and it is only few of the ethnic groups that do not cut their daughters. She said that it is still practiced in her local community in Kogi State.

Therefore, she had to wait till an opportune time, when they moved to Akure, where everyone does it; it was beyond surprise when she confided that she had to cut that daughter’s genitals when she was 12 years old. That was two years ago, because the girl is now 14 years old.

mummy, now sat beside her mother (matron), is a graduate of pharmacy from a Nigerian university. She said that she cut her baby because of the “old gist” and that she would cut all her daughters in the future if she is blessed with more daughters because she does not want them to be promiscuous.

Mummy Matron invited other women from the neighboring houses and they confirmed that their baby daughters were circumcised.

Mrs. Akintide, one of the women who joined the conversation, gave a shocking statement when she said that when her daughter gave birth to a baby girl, the nurses refused to cut her genitals in the hospital, so she brought her home and had cut the baby’s genitals by herself because according to her, she was trained by her grandmother on how to circumcise children in Kogi state.

She

spread

both

Church Midwives

The accusing finger being pointed at the church midwives made it more interesting to speak to a few midwives in some churches. The journey on a bike took me to Aiyedun Quarters in Akure, where I met three midwives who work in different churches.

Ms Agbaje was warm and welcoming; she agreed to speak on camera said that “A girl child who is not cut will hands become barren aside from the

Mutilated at age 24

Mrs. Bamisaiye who was also present buttressed Ms. Agbaje’s story by narrating her sister’s story. Shade was 24 years when she had her genitals cut because she had become promiscuous and came for assistance.

Shade was cut in her older age at 24, after which she retraced her step, went to attend teachers’ college and now, she is a school teacher in Ifon, Ose Local Government area in Ondo state, and living

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a decent life - ostensibly because she was genitally mutilated at the age of 24, as she proudly explained.

FGM to ‘Prevent Infant Mortality and Prostitution’

Deaconess Florence who is also a midwife in Aiyedun said that the tradition and culture support FGM because if a girl was not cut as a baby girl, she must be cut whenever she grows up. And when she is in labour to deliver her own baby, she must not be allowed to deliver the baby without her genital cutting, because if her unborn baby’s head should touch her clitoris, the baby would die immediately, she explained.

When asked if she has seen such occurrence before, she responded negatively by shaking her head and she quickly added that that is why

Agbebi revealed that she travels to Lagos to cut the genitals of her daughter’s children in Lagos. Since it is difficult to find nurses and midwives who would agree to cut the genital of any girl child in Lagos, “I traveled to Lagos to cut the genitals of my three At Oke Ileri Church, the granddaughters” she proudly midwife (iya agbebi) who revealed. sought anonymity and refused any recording said that stopping female genital mutilation is a dangerous move against God; according to her, it is a fight against God. The main challenge facing the She explained further that, cities where female genital God instructed Abraham to mutilation thrives is that the circumcise all children and people who are supposed to she asked rhetorically, “Are dissuade parents from the female children not children dastardly act are the ones again?” perpetuating the act. all our girls’ genitals are cut.

She said, “We do not want evil occurrences around us here in Aiyedun Quarters”.

She went further that female genital mutilation cannot be stopped in Akure.

Christianity and FGM

In churches, women leaders who are experienced midwives are supposed to mutilation is an avenue to make every teach mothers about the evils female child go into prostitution. in genital mutilation – yet these are the very ones buttressing their act with wrong Biblical With regards to her children who live outside Lagos, Iya passages. In many instances,

She warned that ending female genital

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the Biblical passages quoted are nonexistent.

Mrs. Agbaje said that female genital mutilation cannot end in Akure because it is the culture. Deaconess Florence said it is a fight against God and no one can win against God. Iya Agbebi said that every Christian should read this as the sign of the end of times.

Lack of Intervention from Government

Education is Needed at the Grassroots

Laws against FGM, police arrests, and fines are not enough to combat this menace if the mindset of the affected populace is not changed.

Education targeted towards mindset change is imperative to curbing mutilation in the states where local people are upholding this illegal act.

The missions clinics, herbalist traditional birth attendants’ homes, and nurses’ houses which are being doubled as auxiliary hospitals are not supervised nor investigated by the government of the states concerned. Therefore, these personnel would continue to fuel the fire of female genital The government must be mutilation in these affected prepared to work with the ordinary citizens, through It is also distressing that the places. bringing the local people local health workers who to a new consciousness of are supposed to know and education on female genital understand the issues better Religio-sociocultural reasons mutilation. are the ones upholding the are being used to fuel the fire act. In a few instances, retired of FGM in cities, towns. and The answer should no longer nurses are also guilty of this villages in Western Nigeria – be “The government said there is no need to mutilate act in these cities. then it will be a futile effort girls’ genitals”, but a convincing to fight against female genital curriculum and genuine mutilation.

FGM is done in It is disheartening that even engagement with the people auxiliary nurses, who are not darkness, so it will be difficult is highly needed in Ondo expected to perform such to ask all daughters to show State because individuals surgeries are now referred to their genitals during daylight affected must see the light, as Aunty Nurse because semi- to confirm if they were understand the issues, and illiterate women do not know genitally mutilated; that is take a conscious step and the difference between an decision towards stopping another form of abuse. auxiliary nurse and a skilled this illegal act. nurse.

Local Health Workers ‘Aunty Nurse’

Hospitals are not aware that The people who are involved the so-called auxiliary nurses in female genital mutilation do perform such surgeries in in Ondo state are ignorant of their homes. the subject.

www.asafeworldforwomen.org/globalnews/africa/nigeria/4780-fgm-part-2. html

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Female Genital Mutilation thrives in secrecy – Part Three

By Olutosin Oladosu Adebowale

Ibadan - Western Nigeria At the appointed date for another opportunity to practically ‘prove’ to the world that female genitals need to be cut, I arrived very early in the morning to witness the cutting of some female children in Ibadan, in the Western part of Nigeria.

As we waited for Baba Oloola’s customers, I initiated further discussion into the subject; we began another hot argument on the needless point/importance of cutting the female child. It was still his same reasons:

girl will become a symbol of defiance unto the instruction, injunction and guidelines of God, etc.

the uncut female child will become promiscuous, she will not be able to exist with daily sexual intercourse, her clitoris will grow long like a male-penis, an uncut

As earlier agreed, I was ready for the recording of the female genital cutting. He had already given his assurance that mothers will definitely cut their female children on that

day, just like on every other day. According to him, his female genital cutting gives peace of mind to mothers and it is cheap for those who can afford the money; it is just $10, (1,5000) with incision for convulsion; it is $20 (N3,000) and according to him, FGM secures the future of the girl child.

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A few minutes before my video recording of FGM began, Baba Oloola’s younger brother came in; he was very furious to see the equipment.

Immediately, he invited Baba Oloola into their inner room and began to chastise the aged man for exposing the family’s trade to a stranger.

Cutting the ‘Devil that Deranges’

As we were arguing as regards the cancellation of the recording, mothers who want to cut their female child’s genitals began to arrive with these innocent-looking female children.

These women were overexcited to cut the ‘devil that deranged a female child’; they believed that it takes few days to heal, unlike that of the male children that needs After some hot exchanges of a fan to soothe the pain and abuse, the young man burst seven days of continuous out of the room screaming medication. at us, to cancel the recording – he wanted us to just watch female genital cutting in order to convince us that it was the best gift for the future of a girl child and in addition, we might learn that the difference Within a few minutes, there between Oloola and the were six naked and weeping others. girls being dragged into the That was not the initial compound by their mothers, agreement and I was ready to one after the other. It was record it at all costs. either these girls were scared According to these men, to see lots of people or they the difference between were afraid of a strange mutilation and cutting is the removal of the female genital environment – and may be, ‘hood’ and not removal of they knew the work of the the clitoris as practiced by Oloola’s as cutters of genitals; some inexperienced medical all the girls were naked, personnel, traditional birth weeping and struggling. attendants, and missionary midwives in Nigeria.

The “Best Gift for the Future of the Girl Child”

Naked, Weeping & Struggling

Emaciated Baby

The youngest was a sickly six months old or thereabouts baby. She was practically emaciated, and her very young mother insisted that she should also be cut for convulsion, too. She was the first in the row.

The little baby girl was screaming at the top of her very tiny voice; her tiny lips were dry with a whitishchipped substance covering the lips. Baba Oloola placed her on a small table, that looks like a butcher’s table in the open Nigerian market.

She was facing the sky.

Like all the other girls, she was naked but with strings of beads; may be 8 different strings of beads were set on her buttocks. The traditional herb man, Baba Oloola cut a long thin rag of about 5 inches in breadth and 36 inches long, then folded it into a nice pleat and tied it on her tiny waist, covering the beads. He left a longer one at the centre and placed the remaining long rag on her chest. Just like the Japanese traditional wrestlers in the ring.

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The baby raised a deafening tiny pitiful scream as the old man pressed the ‘soft hood’ that covered the genital with his thumb and second finger. This is possibly to allow for some extra flesh into his hand.

Immediately that was achieved, his knife cut straight into the girl child’s genital. Like a lightning flash, it was cut. Phew.

Incisions to ‘Prevent Convulsions’

After the genital cutting, the mother of the tiny girl insisted that the girl must be cut for convulsion; that is incision on her daughter’s body because she is sickly. That attracts a new fee.

was swiftly done, six very long incisions on her back; two at the upper shoulders area. two long incisions at her mid area and the last two at the upper part of her tiny hips. She was also cut at the ankles, and the back of her palms were not spared.

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table. The girls were now in a queue with their mothers standing beside them and holding each of the girls tightly. The girls fought with their feet and hands, but their stronger mothers held them tighter.

The same spade-shaped It was swift like the knife of a cutter was used for the genital butcher on a piece of meat cutting and body-incision. and in a twinkling of an eye, it was done.

The Wailing of the Girls Increases

The wailing by the female children, who were like sheep before the shearer, was accelerated when they saw what was being done to their Now, it means that that counterpart who was lying incision will be made on some helplessly on the butcher’s specific parts of her body. This

Blood gushed out and was rushing inside the vagina and he quickly lifted the girl-child, splashed some water on her vagina and used the left over rag to cover the vagina. He turned the child upside down and used the rest of the rag to cover her buttock, lastly he dipped the remaining portion of the rag into her beads at

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I Was in Tears

her back. It looked like using a small rag to cover the loins as In less than 10 minutes, he earlier practiced in the days of had cut three girls and I was old. in tears when I begged him to stop.

The Great Pride of the Oloola

In the queue were six more girls, age range 3-7 years. He With great pride, he showed stopped, smiled and said, “You me the flesh that was cut and won’t be here forever; women asked “How did I mutilate her? living here will cut every one And is this mutilations?” of their female children.”

He continued to explain that, it He ordered the women to is those quack doctors and not leave with their children; they traditional oloola’s like himself were begging him to cut their that should be accused of daughters. He insisted and mutilation. He said that those reluctantly, they left one after who should be accused of the other. genital mutilation are the quack doctors, untrained nurses, auxiliary nurses and missionary midwives who remove all the clitoris, instead The same spade-shapedof the hood that covers the cutter was used for all the girls and this is the same knife that clitoris. will continue to be used from He advised further that generation to generation; for circumcision and female genital cutting should be left incisions, tribal marks, female in the hands of surgeons and genital mutilation, and male the traditional oloola’s who circumcision.

The Cutter

have ample experiences and Usually wrapped with pieces have been trained. of rag and kept in the Oloola’s His explanation would be pocket until there is a perfectly convincing to a customer who is in desperate moron. need of his expertise.

I was over-curious to ask, what is the usefulness of removing this hood, isn’t it highly unnecessary? And his quick response was...

When the customers left, I it’s God’s injunction and God asked Baba Oloola, if there is no other work that could has the best answer.

Lucrative Business

generate revenue for his lineage aside genital cutting, he responded: Traditional Birth Attendants.

He said that if he has a small clinic, he would concentrate on delivery of children and I wish that is possible, but other oloolas, which number more than 200 in Oyo state, will not diversify.

Definitely, the end of female genital mutilation is not in sight, but if the lead figure diversifies, it might encourage other oloola’s to find another means of livelihood.

In actuality, female genital mutilation is a lucrative job that has discouraged many young men in the lineage of oloolas from pursuing formal education and as asked

by Baba Oloola in Ibadan, what stops the government of Nigeria from starting homeopathic schools for the traditionalists?

In such schools, the curriculum on ending female genital mutilation could be developed and implemented. Female genital mutilation is a huge business to some uneducated traditionalists in Nigeria. www.asafeworldforwomen.org/globalnews/africa/nigeria/4792-fgm-part-3. html

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The menace of baby factory in Imo state By Osemeke . P. Ebele Feb, 4, 2015

W

here do I start and where do I stop, is it the level of promiscuity in the society, or the height of decadence which has gotten to its

apex. People no longer hold decency and decorum in high esteem rather corruption has become a norm which is highly celebrated in the society. A society where evil thrives and the good

castigated. Indeed things have fallen apart and the center can no longer hold. I digress.

A fake Doctor, identified as James Ezuma who has a glassy signpost “Ezuma

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Women and Child Rights Protection Initiative.

FG Approved NGO Motherless Babies Home” along a lonely street off Egbu Road, in Owerri metropolis was the epi-center of child trafficking, with a baby production home.

Before he was arrested, the

65- year old claimed to have studied at the University of Jos, offers humanitarian services according to him by rehabilitating the teenage girls, while offering the children out for adoption, with a promise of good life and health care cover for the unborn child.

Over 70% of a Nigerian lady lacks basic orientation of sexual education. They are not properly exposed to the rudiments of life, and this result to them falling into the dangers of unwanted pregnancy. Due to the high level of promiscuity in the state, the social life of the youths has become very appalling, the level of prostitution in the These girls were coerced to give up their state has kept soaring higher babies for pittance, sometimes as low as and higher by the day of which the teenagers are the N50,000 to N200,000. most vulnerable. The quest to belong among the elite and His physical wealth was were confined in each of the not be regarded as a down complemented by a long list of two rooms where he operates trodden has also contributed clientele and friends in political with neither ventilation negatively on the lives of the and business circles. This nor permanent windows ladies in the state. probably explains why, with and doors. Conversation Baby factory in Imo state impunity, he could operate his estimates indicates that is a serious issue that has purported hospital and Non- Ezuma’s land in Owerri values attracted attention by the governmental Organization at hundreds of millions of government, civil societies NGO, in a building for which naira, the structures at various and the general public. In proper building permit was stages of completion in the the past, the problem was never obtained. compound are evaluated not really known to people It was revealed that anyone at over 20million which was because of the confidential who challenges his baby gotten from the aftermath of nature of the trade, but as a result of concerted efforts dealer’s reptilian practices, the ‘baby factory’ business. suffered either physical harm The nuisance baby factory by all groups mentioned or had his clinic shut down. has being constituting in Imo including the police, they were His network of friends were state cannot just be traced able to root out the problem believed to be in privileged to a particular factor, rather from the front burner of positions of government it can be linked to several public discourse. The issue who ensures that he never chains of societal problems of which was discovered in 2013 suffered harassments by any which ‘poverty and Ignorance’ is an extension /diversification group, and when he did, they are the basic factors which of child trafficking which is a made escape routes available has rubbed negatively on trade on human beings. Due to him. the morality and chastity of to the needs/demands of babies from parents who are Before his arrest, eight girls individuals, notably women. finding it difficult to have their

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own kids, or parents who want a particular sex of baby for family continuity, the demand of babies became quite on a high side. Because of these, those who need babies do not follow the official legal adoption of babies; this was achieved through the formation of “industries” that manufacture these babies where desperate wives buy and pay money. Therefore, these industries are called “Baby Factory”.

A media consultant, Mr. Charles Asoluka in an interview disclosed that the Frightening case of baby factory is that they “have emerged another group of people who buy babies not because they want them for themselves, rather for ritual purposes, it has introduced a frightening dimension in baby trade. Some of these babies are taken to juju men and other ritual purposes. There are many people involved in the trade of baby factory, the landlord/landladies who are owners of baby factories; Agents who play the role of intermediaries, they liaise between the baby factory owners and those who procure the babies for them; the ‘Hunter’ who disguise as pastors, NGOs looking for pregnant girls or those willing to be pregnant for a fee; the ‘Horse’ who receive

babies from agents as they can kill to kidnap a child and sell them to the agent who have commissioned them”.

He further submitted that the doctors are not left out as they work in collaboration with these factory owners by

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home will not give the phone number of the buyer to the conveners, the transaction is usually between the owner of the baby homes and the ultimate buyer. Once the conveners locate the buyer, he puts the buyer online with

administering medications to the owner of the baby factory these pregnant girls as well as and he/she confirms it is the deliver them. buyer, the baby is given and However, there is a syndicate convener disappears from the chain that operates in these sense. In such instance, when industries; they work together security agencies meet with in collaboration to make the the convener, they cannot trade effective. There are trace the buyer or who the also those whose function baby is delivered to. is to convey the babies. The investigation made revealed that the difficulties security agencies encounter in tracking these culprits is that most times, these conveners do not know the buyer, the owner of the motherless baby

It is also pertinent to x-ray other recorded cases of Baby Factories in Imo State. On Tuesday, 7th March, 2014, Imo State Police Command paraded one Mr. Dominic Ahejuonu from Amuzi Ahaizu Mbaise Local Government

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Area, Imo State for operating an illegal maternity in his home, where four teenagers believed to be giving birth to babies for sales where also arrested. It is also on record that 17 pregnant teenagers form Ahamefula Motherless Babies home, Umuaka in Njaba Local Government of the state were rescued by the police command, they were aged between 14 and 25. these visible exhausted girls said they were held against their wish by the proprietor of the so-called motherless babies home popularly known as “Madam One Thousand”, noting that their parents are unaware of their whereabouts.

The account given by a 17 year old Adaobi Akubueze affirmed that in realizing she was pregnant, the doctor that conducted the test lured her to keep the pregnancy that

he will take her to a place where proper maternal care will be given without charges. “….. so I ran away from home without informing my people, but on getting to the center, I presented my letter of introduction given to me by the doctor and my phone was taken away from me, that was how I stayed there till the police came to rescue us. We are kept in a crowded room with little ventilation and a doctor came once a while to check on us. Nobody was allowed to go beyond the first gate also known as the Green Gate. And one man who we referred to as ‘Oga’ came around to sleep with the girls, especially those who were yet pregnant. After nine months, those who were due to be delivered of their babies were taken to another location and madam would only bring back

news to us that our friend has given birth. But they never came back again”, she narrated.

Another case was the 14 pregnant teens rescued by security operatives who stormed a building located at Umuguma in Owerri West Local Government of Imo State. This time around, it was recorded that the owner of the Baby Factory home was a member of the Cherubim and Seraphim church, simply identified as pastor Chinedu.

In an investigation conducted, the villagers who spoke on the grounds of anonymity hinted that the pastor hired an uncompleted building in the community and quartered the pregnant girls in the unhealthy environment before he was arrested by the State Police Command.

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It was also discovered in a related published case when a woman, Mrs. Esther Akun Madu, aged 52 was arrested for running a baby factory in Umuchoke in Obazu Mbieri in Mbaitolu Local Government of the state. The Deputy Commandant of the NSCDC in Imo State, Mr. Ade Micheal said that the woman has been into the illegal business for over one year and at the period of the arrest, two male babies, a 2-day old and 2-weeks old were both recovered from her illegal maternity home.

This they confirmed has been handed over to the State Ministry of Women affairs and social Development, and the operator of the baby home was taken to the appropriate authorities for further persecution. A 21-year old pregnant girl and one of the inmates told the reporter that her mother brought her to the place without knowledge

of the dealings between her mother and the operator. This act is against the Child Rights Act 2003.

Baby factory in Imo state has grown to the level where some married women who are in need of babies disguise themselves to their husbands that they are pregnant through the use of hormone-altering medicines.

These women had arranged with the baby factory owners and the pregnant girl who is prepared to get her baby.

The factory owner will be in touch with the woman who wants the baby, on the day of delivering, the pretentious pregnant wife will be notified and she will pretend to be feeling labour pains and will insist she delivers in a special hospital where the pregnant girl will have her baby.

Thereafter, the exchange is made and money paid to the real mother of the child, and the buyer disappears with the child to show her husband claiming is hers. This practice is encouraged because of the way societies view adopted children, couples now try to beat that situation.

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Owerri. recently, posited that she would stop at nothing at fighting baby factory in the state, especially those who operate under the guise of motherless baby homes. In her words, “I have vowed to fight the scourge to standstill; I will raise a campaign against factory/child trafficking, illegal adoption and fostering of children. Trading of babies is punishable by law, every child deserves to live�, she affirms.

Continuing, the Commissioner revealed that the state shall look into the 36 registered motherless Homes with a view to determining those involved in the illegal act, adding that all the registered Homes have been revoked and that they shall go through a new process of registration, which is ongoing to know the authentic ones. She further warned the staff of the ministry to desist from aiding illegal adoption/ fostering, while reiterating that any staff found in that act will be dismissed from office.

However, the present Public Relations Officer in the State Police Command, DSP Andrew Enwerem has confirmed that for some months, there have In line with all these, the been no case of baby factory Imo State Commissioner for in the state, this he said was Women Affairs and Social achieved through identifying Development, Mrs. Nma Love the root cause of baby Onyechere while speaking to factory and those engaged journalists at NUJ Press Center, in the business. He averred

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that the Commissioner of Police Abdumajid Ali through intelligence has been able to combat it and has restored the state back to its glory. “…

As I’m speaking to you now, we don’t have any case of child trafficking/baby factory in Imo. We will sustain the tempo by making sure we put surveillance all around with intelligence gathering.

For now, we aresure that the police have blocked all avenues for baby factory and

fortunes of other motherless home who genuinely have the passion to help motherless children, orphans through their humanitarian services to the society. In an interview conducted, the proprietors of Mary Franca Foundation Home located at shell camp, Owerri, Imo State, Mr./Mrs. Hyacinth Chukwudiri stated that they are committed and dedicated towards the welfare of abandoned kids and will stop at nothing

In 2011, the National Agency for the prohibition of Trafficking of persons (NAPTIP) said their investigation shows that babies are sold for up to $6,400 each.

Therefore, government officials and institutions in charge to fight this scourge should not relent in eradicating the menace of baby factory in the society. The police and the Judiciary where these culprits are taken to must also work in synergy in their race to fighting this cause.

The ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development must not hesitate to inspect all maternity homes that have been established and further ensure that ensure that they stick to the terms of their registration.

are hopeful that the crime will not resurface in the state”.

While stating that the culprits earlier arrested has been charged to court, whereas some cases are being trailed in the court, some are convicted and serving prison terms.

Though there is no present case of baby factory business in Imo has confirmed by the Police, I can vehemently state that the negative effects posed by the act has constituted the dwindling

to ensure they are given qualitative education as well as good moral background.

He further charged the state government to provide financial support to the registered motherless babies’ home to assist them in their quest to save lives. Another effect of baby factory is that the state has now become vulnerable to its citizens which babies are the main culprit thereby arousing fear of being a victim.

In the same vein, couples who are genuinely in need of babies should follow the official legal terms to child adoption, instead of following the short-cut of buying babies which will definitely lead to ruin. Also, a 10-year jail term for illegal baby factory operators as proposed by the National Assembly should be adopted and implemented in order to end this crime. www.thenigerianvoice.com/ news/168820/1/the-menace-of-babyfactory-in-imo-state.html

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Child Trafficking: Babies and Their Rescue

By Chigozie Uzosike “Give me my baby! Give me my baby! Give me my baby!!!” this was the pathetic cry of a poor young girl who had her four months baby taken from her by allegedly child traffickers.

But for the intervention of the men of the Immigration Service who caught the woman from Equitorial Guinea, the alleged traffickers would have made away with the baby.

When the child was brought to the office of Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Imo State, Mrs. Nma Love Onyechere, the baby was taken to a motherless home for the welfare of the child.

When investigation was furthered, it was revealed that the mother of the child was a hawker who got impregnated by unknown person and that

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some women connived with the Equitorial Guinea woman to take the child with the young mother to a destination, where it was discovered that the women pushed the young girl out of the vehicle and took the baby and gave her to the Equitorial Guinea woman, who was later intercepted at Port Harcourt Airport.

(PPRO), Imo Command, DSP Andrew Enwerem hinted that in the past, child trafficking has been a menace since 2013, adding that in the past nine months, the police under the leadership of Commissioner of Police, Abdumajid Ali, that no incident of child trafficking has been recorded, that it has been completely brought to a However, the young girl has halt, adding that all avenue for long been united with her child trafficking to thrive has baby, while the perpetrators been blocked. have long been charged to He posited that the magic of court for the unholy act. combating child trafficking This, like very many others in Imo is identifying the root ranging from another incident cause of trafficking in children that took place where one and identifying those in the Alex Ejiogu was arrested business, adding that the for stealing a baby boy, Imo police have used its according to the information, the suspect was the owner of a hospital and maternity in Owerri. The Doctor was said to have delivered one Mrs. Eberechukwu Peter of twins baby boys, where the doctor gave one to the mother and sold one to yet to be identified person.

Speaking on the past activities of child trafficking/ racketeering in Imo State, the Police Public Relations Officer

intelligence in doing that.

He hinted that the tempo is sustained by using intelligence to block those channels of trafficking, “so we are hopeful that the crime does not resurface�.

He revealed that those caught in child trafficking have been charged to court, stressing that some are waiting trial in the court, while according to him some have been convicted.

Speaking earlier to newsmen, the Imo State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs. Nma Love Onyechere posited that she would stop at nothing at

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fighting child trafficking in the state, especially those who operate under the guise of churches. She posited that she would not relent in her resolve to fight the scourge which has eaten deep into the fabric of the society.

In his contributions, Mr. Charles Asoluka Ph.D holder in Sociology and a Media Consultant, who gave an insight into the operations of

child trafficking in Imo State said that the state is fairly free from both baby factory and child trafficking. He hinted that child trafficking was furthered as a result of the fact that parents who need babies because of their childlessness was on the increase, adding that those who need these babies circumvent the normal

process of adopting child/ children.

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Conveyers do not know the buyer, stressing that it has been a problem as when the Conveyer is caught, he (conveyer) may not link the police to the buyer because the conveyer do not know the buyer, hinting that the buyer only knows the baby factory owner.

Continuing, he posited that some people, sometimes buy babies for rituals, ‘juju’ and other purposes that offend the sense of decency. He revealed that in the process of trafficking the child, there are some identified as Buyers, who buy the babies in any Asoluka who is the Author guise and are sometimes of the book: “Police, Security caught by the police. The and National Developmentthe Abdumajid Ali Factor” revealed that sometimes barren mothers arrange with the baby factory owners, where the mother feigned to be pregnant, asked the baby factory owner to get a young girl, have a man impregnate her and when the girl puts to bed, the barren mother goes out under pretended labour and come back with the child second people according so delivered of by the young to him are the Hunters girl who gets her payment who disguise themselves as and goes away. Sometimes, Pastors, NGOs among others the young girl is not allowed to traffic children and there is to see her child. “This has other group called the Horse, brought negative view on who he described as baby child adoption in the state. thieves who sell to the agents He hinted that some of of child trafficking to deliver the child traffickers may to whoever sends them. He sometimes work with revealed that sometimes the

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some staff of Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, according to him, they work with some Doctors/Midwives who help them deliver of the child. He regretted that sometimes the court delay in convicting the culprits, thereby encouraging other potential offenders. He called on the police, ministry in charge of registering the Homes and the public to continue to monitor what the motherless homes do before and after.

It would be recalled that two suspects gruesomely murdered one Madukalu Okechukwu for recognizing them while they forcefully snatched the two children from their mothers at their residence in Ahiazu, Mbaise Local Government Area of the state.

It would be recalled further that about 18 pregnant young women housed by a certain woman, popularly called Madam One Thousand for purposes of bearing children and selling them to willing bidders.

Madam

One

Thousand

Investigation revealed that last year, one Njoku Franklin, who was aged 18 from Ngor Okpala was arrested for the murder of one Gloria Eze, a four year old girl from Avuru in Aboh Mbaise. The suspect was said to be have lured the victim into the bush and subsequently killed her and hanged the lifeless body on a palm tree.

In October, 2013, one Former Imo State Commissioner for Women Kelechi Eberendu, Innocent Affairs and Social Development, Mrs. Nma Ogbonna and Onwunna Love Onyechere with a rescued girl.

Chukwu kidnapped three operates an illegal orphanage years old master Nze Iyere home in Umuaka, Njaba LGA, who hails from Ikot Ekpene where the pregnant women, at gunpoint and sold him to mostly young and teenage one Dr. Francis Onyekwuru girls are kept for the childwho bought him for #250,000 bearing objectives. and later sold to Mrs. Ngozi It was also learnt that MadChukwu (Nurse) who was am One Thousand operates described as the woman in a pure water factory called charge of distributing babies Ahatee, at the same Umuaka to couples in need of children. premises where newly-born In the year 2013, when child babies sell between N800, trafficking started in Imo 000 and N450, 000 dependState, precisely in October, the ing on bargaining power of Imo State Police Command the customers for different arrested a suspected child sexes. While the male sales trafficker, Mrs. Rose Azubuike for N800, 000, the female Nwadinobi from Umuda goes for N450, 000 as the Umuahia North LGA, Abia child bearing women get N50, State with six pregnant 000 as fee for their services.

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girls and three weeks baby boy, master John Paul sold for #900,000 to one Mrs. Akpuchukwu Uzoamaka.

Mrs. Nwadinobi was a herbal doctor who gave women hormone-altering medicine to enable them get pregnant and give birth. She settles the girls with #250,000 in place of the child, be it boy or girl,

having being impregnated by the suspect’s boy friend.

In line with all these, the Women Affairs Commissioner, Lady Nma Onyechere has vowed to fight the scourge to standstill, adding that the state has raised a campaign against baby factory/child trafficking, illegal adoption and fostering of children. She noted that trading of babies is punishable by law, stressing that every child deserves to live. She posited that before any child is adopted, the ministry must be aware.

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when she spoke to journalists at NUJ Press Center, Owerri.

However, with the concerted effort of both the Police, the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development and the general public to bring the hydra-headed monster called - Child Trafficking/ Racketeering to a halt, a call has gone to all and sundry to continue to keep alert towards ensuring that the society is permanently rid of the menace. The ministry should mount surveillance on the activities of the motherless Continuing, the Commissioner homes to prevent/ensure revealed that the state shall they do not veer off from the look and has looked into the 36 intention of the homes. www.thenigerianvoice.com/ registered motherless Homes news/168439/1/child-trafficking-babieswith a view to determining and-their-rescue.html those involved in the illegal act. She said that all the registered Homes have been revoked and that they shall go through a new process of registration, which is on going to know the authentic ones.

She warned the staff of the ministry to desist from aiding illegal adoption/fostering, adding that any staff found in that act will be dismissed from office. She was her assertion

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Justice Denied Paul Orude

 February 12, 2015

For rape victims in Gombe, the law never take its course. Crime on the increase, as perpetrators get a slap on the wrist. The punishment for rape, as spelt out in Section 358 of the Criminal Code, is life imprisonment, while an attempt to commit rape attracts 14 years in jail. But in Gombe, convicted rapists get three-month jail terms or as little as N15, 000 fine.

I

n Gombe State, rape is a major societal crisis. Sadly, many perpetrators are getting away with the crime, with little or no consequences.

And many more girls and women are finding themselves at the receiving end.

Ali Abba, a handset repairer and a convicted rapist in

Billiri, Gombe State, shocked neighbours when he reportedly boasted that he would rape his victim, a 14 year old girl, again. “After all, it is just to

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pay N15, 000 and be free,” he submitted.

The alleged rape was carried out on November 19, 2014 while Abba was in December sentenced to three months imprisonment by the Civil Area Court in Billiri. But he was also given an option of a fine of N15, 000. He promptly paid the fine and is now walking about again.

The victim’s father, Kabiru Mohammed Abubakar, explained his frustration and pains and the trauma his daughter went through.

But he said he is more outraged by the poor handling of the investigation by the police than Ali’s assertion that he could “do it” to his daughter again “I was in Kaltungo when my wife called me. I was shocked.

She is a well-mannered girl.

You can imagine my pains.

When I came home to Billiri that night, I reported the matter to the police and Ali was arrested. It was not until in the morning that I took her to the hospital,” Kabiru recalled.

According to the father, the teenager was allegedly lured into the bush by Ali Abba, in his late 20s after taking food to a sick relation in a hospital in Billiri.

“He told my daughter that he would accompany her to the hospital but she told him Courtesy: World Health Organization

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Courtesy: World Health Organization

there was no need as she had transport fare. When he insisted, she agreed because she did not suspect that he had any evil intention, and he used that opportunity to rape her. “They even reached the hospital and after she had finished what took her there, she left and he started following her. On their way home, he raped her in the bush at

about 10 in the night. I was in Kaltungo when I was called.

That he is threatening to rape her again is worrisome.

I learnt that he has fled the town,� Kabiru told Daily Sun. Rape is a big problem in Gombe State. Sadly, however, only few people would rather talk about it. Many are those that shy away from discussing rape because

of the stigma often associated with being a victim.

According to the Gombe Police command, 72 rape cases of rape were reported between 2012 and 2014. An official statistics of rape cases in Gombe State, as obtained by the reporter on January 15, 2015, revealed that 92 suspects were arrested in connection with rape cases.

A total of 65 out of the cases were charged to court in the period under review.

The record shows that 16 suspects were convicted in connection with cases involving rape in the state in the last three years.

The situation was alarming in 2013, with 32 cases recorded. In 2012, only 19 cases were recorded while 25 cases were reported in 2014.

However, the breakdown indicated that from 2012 to 2014, 11 cases are still under investigation by the police. The record showed that while six and five cases in 2012 and 2013 respectively are currently being investigated by the police, no case in 2014 is being investigated by the command.

The record shows that 52 suspects are currently awaiting trial in Gombe State in connection with rape in the courts.

Research by the British Council in 2012 on gender-based violence issues discovered that one out of every three

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of all women and girls fewer than 15 to 24 have been a victim of violence. A 2007 report published by Amnesty International confirmed that a third of victims are believed to have been subjected to physical, sexual violence.

Coordinator of Gombe State Child Protection Network, Barrister Fatima Gamdo Birma, disclosed that CPN has received several reports of rape against children and other child protection issues over the last few years.

“There are many unreported cases because of fear of stigmatisation. Parents do not like the matter to be treated in public. This is part of the rising cases of domestic violence against women and the denial of the rights of the girl-child in our society.

“Our women and girls face daunting challenges; in the last couple of years, many have fallen victims to such bestialities like gang rape, incest and all manner of domestic abuse.

“It was confirmed that more than 31.4 per cent of the girls that are living with HIV reported rape as their first encounter with sex. Most women and girls that are violated would rather suffer the psychological and physical trauma silently than reveal their encounter, and so, the culprit goes scot-free.

“Many other victims are too

scared of stigmatisation by the public,” she said. Sometimes a case could suddenly be withdrawn by families of victims, thereby frustrating every effort to get justice for helpless victims.

“It is a pathetic situation,” said Lucy Usen, Programme Coordinator of Centre for Community and Health Development in Gombe Lucy wondered what protection girls and women in the state could receive if suspects of serious cases of rape were given a slap on the wrist with light sentences.

“Hadiza Adamu, a teenage groundnut seller was raped by one Adamu Saidu in May 2014. Adamu was sentenced to six months imprisonment by a Magistrate Court in Gombe. This is not justice.

Or what would you say of Maryam Isa, a four-year-old girl raped by a neighbour?

She was unconscious for three days and was bleeding profusely. We thought she would die. Thank God she survived. But why should the rapist not get punished?”

Lucy believed part of the problem of prosecuting rape cases in the state is the lack of prompt medical care for victims. “The victims don’t often get the medical report on time and sometimes they developed cold feet when they see the police. If

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the medical evidence is destroyed, then successful prosecution becomes a problem.

Medical doctors need to provide medical report when victims report to the hospital within 24 hours. If victims get pregnant, or contract HIV, they can easily be given medication.”

It took two days for Kabiru to take his daughter’s case to the General Hospital, Billiri. Kabiru blamed the police prosecutor for not properly handling the case, thus leading to a light sentence for the culprit.

Programme coordinator, Centre for community and health development, Gombe, Mrs Lucy Usen

“The problem was from the police prosecutor,” he said.

“He is the one who cheated us.

We were told by the doctor to come back after two weeks to check, and after three months check her condition again. He did not inform the court what

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the doctor at the hospital told us. Why did he not inform the court? He should produce his reason because the case was hurriedly concluded.”

Jummai Zakka, a Gombebased businesswoman whose nine-year-old niece was also allegedly raped by an undergraduate of the Gombe State University is in a similar situation.

Jummai said following the little girl’s claims that it was one Isaiah that raped her; she took him to the Gombe Police Division and while there called the suspect’s parents.

She said: “Isaiah’s father, who is a policeman, said there was no need of taking the girl to the hospital, that we could just take her to a nearby chemist. I said no; this is not a chemist issue. Look at how this girl is sitting down. Let’s just collect the report for doctors to just check her.

“They said no and were just delaying till around five in the evening until they accepted.

But the police said we could not take her to the private hospital. I agreed to take her to the General Hospital, Gombe, but they said that I would not follow them. I asked why? I am supposed to follow my niece to the hospital. They refused.

So I let them take her to the hospital. They left and came back around 12am, saying

that there was no doctor.

“I insisted we should go to a private hospital, but they refused. Before they left around one in the morning, the boy’s father, the DPO and the IPO even opened her legs and the father saw blood. I never knew the implications of the father’s actions until the next day when some people were explaining it to me.

“The next day, the blood was not there again. But the DPO saw the blood, the IPO saw the blood, the father saw the blood and I saw the blood and so many people saw

means they saw a doctor the previous night. The doctor wrote that she was not a virgin and that he didn’t see blood but that they had tampered with the place.”

Jummai approached the Gombe State Ministry of Justice with the case and a lawyer was assigned to handle her case. But she is worried that the defendant’s lawyers and the father of the suspect were bringing all sorts of barriers.

They said that my niece who is just nine has been having sex; that I am a bad girl, a gold-digger. They didn’t even

the blood. We went to the hospital and they advised that she should not take her bath till they examine her.

The blood was not there again. “At the hospital, one doctor just called Isaiah and they went to his office. That

take us to the CID before taking us to court. The father is justmanipulating the case. He found my mother’s number and called her.

“My mother called me and advised me to forget about the case and settle out of court,

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that they asked what we have spent. I told them I had spent up to N30, 000. My mother said we should just collect N100,000. I said no; they will think we are looking for money.

“But I am willing to press the case until there is justice for this small girl. The boy is still denying it and the father is insulting me, saying that I want to make money so I asked the girl to lie. I was surprised to hear all these abuses. The case will be taken to the tribunal because she is a small girl.”

While Jummai has the courage to pursue the alleged rape of her niece, many victims are afraid to report.

Some others would make a report but would suddenly want the case withdrawn.

For instance, parents of a 12-year-old girl allegedly raped by one Mohammed Danjuma and those of another

girl of similar age raped by one Lagos Jagamin in Cham Local Government area suddenly lost interest in pursuing justice.

“Jagamin, a close family, allegedly took advantage of his victim, a 12-year-old mentally retarded girl by raping her.

He is now on the run while investigation is underway,” said Birma, who informed the reporter that Jagami’s case was reported to the CPN. To address the problem, Lucy disclosed that centres have been established in hospitals across the state for victims who report rape cases to get prompt attention.

Sadly, the victims of rape in Gombe State like are unlikely to get justice because of several factors that come to bear in the cause of investigation and prosecution.

The punishment for rape as spelt out in Section 358 of the Criminal Code is life imprisonment, while an attempt to commit rape attracts 14 years imprisonment.

A lawyer, who claimed anonymity, explained some of the factors. He told the reporter: “When cases of rape come to us, we normally

do follow ups because they don’t report to us directly.

There is so much frustration of our cases by the police and counsels to the defendants.”

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Investigation and prosecution are stalled, thereby preventing justice because victims and their families do not report cases on time.

“Cultural barriers such as stigma keep victims from coming forward. Even if the victim is a grandmother, there is no reason why she should be raped,” opined Justice Halima Mohammed of the National Association of Women Judges in Nigeria.

Mohammed said when victims of rape do come forward, “they often encounter procedural and evidential barriers to accessing justice.

Therefore the second issue relates to steps that courts might take to make the process less daunting and more victim-friendly.”

However, if the investigations into what happens when a rape case gets to the courts in Gombe are anything to go by, then it will be easier for the camel to pass through the eye of the needle than for the victims of rape in Gombe to get justice and for those found guilty of rape to get adequate jail terms in accordance with the law.

The police are usually the first port because they have the responsibility to investigate reported cases of rape. They can prosecute the case because rape is a serious offence.

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The punishment for rape as spelt out in Section 358 of the Criminal Code is life imprisonment, while an attempt to commit rape attracts 14 years imprisonment.

The coordinator of Women’s Rights Advancement and Protection Alternative (WRAPA) in the state, Mrs. Jummai Dogo, observed that the nondomestication of the Child Rights Act by the state House of Assembly has been a setback in the protection of children from rape. Even as the Violence Against person’s bills has not received support, Gombe State has no law on violence against women. While lawyers working with the Ministry of Justice are often given cases of rape in a bid to get justice for victims, as private lawyers are too expensive, nothing worthwhile often comes out of them.

“There are so much frustration of our cases by the police and the defendants’ counsels,” a female lawyer who pleaded anonymity revealed. “Here in Gombe, it is a man’s world and once a woman is raped, they will frustrate the case and nothing will come out of it. Women are at the receiving end. Women are poor. In Gombe, if the case involves highly placed persons, it will be difficult to prove or win,” the legal counsel from FIDA explains to Daily Sun. For defending the cause of women, a lawyer who also

pleaded anonymity disclosed that some female lawyers are being seen as enemies by some men in the state.

“We in FIDA are being abused by the men for doing our jobs of defending women and girls who fall victims of rape every day. To the men here, women are to be seen and not heard. Recently, one man broke my windscreen with an axe. I was able to escape.”

While cases of rape are becoming rampant, investigation revealed that Gombe State has laws to protect victims and ensure that perpetrators are put behind bars. Issues of rape, which affects girls and women, are relegated to the background as campaign for elective offices take centre stage in Gombe State. In order to address the menace, some have suggested that there should be more awareness campaign on the danger of keeping silent.

Medical doctors and the police should endeavour to give enough evidences for prosecution and to ensure conviction of suspects.

A Gombe-based medical practitioner, Barrister Caleb Ubale, said because of the damaging effects of rape, suspects are not entitled to bail and if found guilty, they could face life imprisonment.

Ubale also re-echoed the viewpoint that parents of

the rape victims are not helping matters by being reluctant to allow the cases to be taken to court.

“The law enforcement agencies should not allow rape cases to die prematurely, even if the victims’ parents wanted it so,” he said.

Efforts to meet with the Gombe State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice failed.

Several visits were made to his office, but on each occasion, he was said to be out of the office. He also failed to return calls made to his phone. He did not respond to an official letter from The Sun Publishing Limited for an interview.

An insider who pleaded anonymity lamented that government officials in Gombe were mainly interested in returning to office for another tenure, and thus, issues like rape were considered inconsequential. sunnewsonline.com/new/justice-denied/

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Human Trafficking: the Burkina Faso ring Simon Ateba Feb 9 2015

A trip to Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, unravels the booming human trafficking business in the West African country.Itwas 27 December, 2014, and we were ten in a rickety Peugeot 404, a family car meant for four persons and produced by French automobile manufacturer Peugeot from 1960 to 1975. There were eight adults, an infant and a girl who sat at her mother’s feet in the overcrowded vehicle. I was, along with my Nigerian guide, Ochuko Otoba, embarking

on a trip many people before us had undertaken for many decades. We were leaving Saki in the western Nigerian State of Oyo, a dusty park filled with old but sturdy vehicles that take passengers daily all the way from Nigeria to Benin Republic, and even as far as Burkina Faso, a two-day journey. It was public holiday in Nigeria, two days after Christmas, and the roads were

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devoid of the usual chaotic traffic snarls. But we had travelled for almost three hours already from Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State, to Saki, and were beginning to feel the pain.

L

eaving Ibadan at 8.59 a.m., we thought we would reach the Nigerian border with Nigerian guide, Ochuko Otoba Benin Republic three hours later. But at 11.50 a.m., we were just arriving at Saki, Kenu or Chikanda in Kwara Looking at it, there seemed to three to four hours away from State, Nigerian border towns be no need for an international with Benin Republic. passport to cross the border.

Our old but strong driver tore through the dusty and untarred road and took us on a journey many people would wish not to embark on. We passed many towns, including Ilesha-Baruba in Kwara State, and went off the main road at Sinawu. From Sinawu, the road, which looked like a track, was untarred and the dust was in high supply all the way to Kenu in Baruten Local Government Area of Kwara State. Having left Saki at about 12.52 p.m., we reached Kenu border at 3.15 p.m.

view of Ougadogou

Our car was headed to Kabo in Benin Republic, but we got off at Kenu where a few officials of the Nigeria Immigration Service, NIS, sat on a table under a tree, monitoring travellers out of and into Nigeria.

An identity card was enough and in many cases, it was accompanied by a few naira notes. Before arriving in Kenu from Saki, we met some immigration officers along the way who suspected that two passengers in our vehicle were foreigners without proper documentation. The officers threatened to arrest them, but after much pleading, they collected N5,000 from them and gave them a laissezpasser, a paper that allowed them to exit the Nigerian territory. In Saki, we were told that a particular vehicle comes every Tuesday and Thursday to take passengers all the way to Burkina Faso.

My guide had told me that the vehicle was owned by a Nigerian human trafficker living in Burkina Faso. At Kenu

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border, I asked immigration officers if they were aware of it and why was the border so porous. I also asked them about human trafficking, whether they were aware that many under-aged girls were smuggled out of Nigeria through their border post into Benin and then to Burkina Faso.

people from there marry our people, and many of our men marry from there,” he said further as another truck full of passengers crossed into the Nigerian territory without being stopped. “It’s the same wedding they went to attend,” he said. We spent about 30 minutes at the border with them.

They told me they do their work as best as they can and screen passengers and check all travel documents and detain suspects. Even with proper travel documents, they ask all the necessary questions to ensure that no one was being trafficked. The officers offered us two bottles of soft drinks and told us they were public officials who were not allowed to disclose their identities to the press.

In reality, calling it a border is an over statement as only the Nigerian flag and the few NIS officials constituted the border! It was an open, porous border that looked like a road from one Nigerian village to another. The closest international

border

from

As we were discussing with them, a truck full of passengers came from Benin and crossed into the Nigerian territory without being stopped. “They went to attend a wedding in Benin this morning, they are just returning from there,” a senior officer said.

“There are a lot of intermarriages across this border town,” he added, “many Trafficker’s house in Ouagadogou

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Kenu is called Chikanda. I asked the officials how far was Chikanda from Kenu. “About three to four hours away,” an official replied. Being at the Kenu border made us realise how difficult it is for the NIS officers there to do their job as they sat under a tree and had no office we could properly identify. We were told that there are many unmanned entry and exit points between Kenu and Chikanda. This was scary because human traffickers hardly travel by air. They also avoid conventional borders that may subject them to too much scrutiny. They look for,

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and eventually find, porous borders such as the ones between Kenu and Chikanda in Kwara State where they can sneak in or out undetected.

Sometimes, they pass through borders that are manned by officials who understand their kind of business and profit from it.

On 8 January, 2015, my voyage to Ouagadougou finally began.

I left Lagos at 6 a.m., passed through Seme border and arrived in Cotonou, capital Between western Nigeria and of Benin Republic, in the Burkina Faso, there is only afternoon of the same day. one country; the Republic My guide, Otoba, joined me in of Benin. Ordinary road the night. But we had to spend travellers from Nigeria prefer two nights in Cotonou because to enter Benin Republic the bus to Ouagadougou had through Seme Border in Lagos left that morning and the before proceeding to Burkina next one would be leaving on Faso. But human traffickers, Saturday at about 3 o’clock in the morning. After two days as I discovered, take a longer, in Cotonou, we finally left for tortuous route to Kwara State Ouagadougou at about 3 a.m. and travel at odd hours when on 10 January. We travelled the few officers who could for an entire day, and sixteen have challenged them have hours later at about 7 p.m., we reached Nadiagou, Burkina long gone to sleep.

Faso border town.

With the first leg of my journey over, I travelled back to Ibadan for another seven hours and arrived in the ancient city few minutes before midnight. I returned to Lagos the next day, 28 December, exhausted, but ready for the long journey to Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso for the second leg of my journey.

As we journeyed between Benin Republic and Burkina Faso, we met several immigration posts but the only requirements from the passengers were any identity card and some money to bribe officers. Money was collected at virtually all immigration posts and borders. About 2,000 Franc CFA (N700) was collected from each passenger at Porga border, a notorious border

in the Atakora Department of Benin Republic, where extortion almost seemed to be official. Few minutes after, about 1,000 Franc CFA (N350) was collected from each passenger at Nadiagou border to cross into Burkina Faso, having exited Benin from Porga. Even after taking a first visa at Seme border to enter Benin Republic from Nigeria, immigration officers at Porga, Benin, demanded that I pay them 5,000 Franc CFA (about N1,700) to exit their country.

I refused and they let me go, not without scolding and delaying me for being stubborn.

At Nadiagou

Visit to Touwego cemetery where Elizabeth and Mary were buried

border, having exited Benin Republic, I was advised not to use my international passport to avoid taking a visa. Rather,

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the driver of our bus advised me, I should pay one thousand franc cfa to cross the Burkina Faso border.

tried to discourage me from collecting the visa but I insisted. I collected my visa and joined other travellers on I insisted on collecting the visa, the other side of the border. and I ended up paying 24,000 It was Saturday and Burkina franc cfa (about N8,000) for customs officers had closed transit visa valid only for three earlier that weekend. They days while other passengers would return the next day at without passports paid only a about 9 a.m., we were told, thousand franc cfa and were to check luggage and goods let in. I was told that if I must in the luxury bus. About stay in Burkina Faso for more 44 passengers slept at the than three days, I would need border in the bus while one to spend over 90,000 franc passenger looked for a hotel

Ouedraogo in front of his house in Somgande

cfa (N30,000) for a single entry around and joined us in the visa. morning before the customs I was told that immigration officers arrived at about 9 a.m. officers prefer when travellers do not take visas because the money goes into their pockets while visa fees are documented and collected by the government. Officers

They did all their checks and allowed us to leave Nadiagou at 11.15 a.m. on 11 January.

We embarked on another long journey of five hours. We passed through towns like

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Fada N’gourma and Zorgho before arriving Ouagadougou the same day at 4.05 p.m., more than 37 hours after leaving Cotonou.

Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, and the administrative, communications, cultural and economic centre of the nation, is a beautiful city full of motorcycles. Virtually everyone in Ouaga, as the capital is also known, owns a motorcycle, from the shoemaker to the bank manager.

Ouagadougou’s primary industries are food processing and textiles. It is host to an international airport and has rail links to Abidjan in Ivory Coast, and a paved highway to Niamey in Niger Republic. In all, the landlocked nation shares borders with six West African countries ( Benin, Ghana, Niger, Ivory Coast, Mali and Togo).

It is those borders that have attracted human traffickers for decades, especially because from Mali, traffickers can proceed to the Sahara desert and Algeria, Morocco and then Spain or Italy by land and water. It is also those borders that give strength to lies told by Nigerian human traffickers who lure victims

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by promising them paradise slaves and drawing the anger in Europe via Burkina Faso. of the Nigerian community in Human trafficking is a serious Burkina Faso. problem in Burkina Faso and the number of girls trafficked in the landlocked country is “They told me a very alarming, said Ochuko Nigerian cannot Patrick Otoba, my Nigerian guide, who had told me about arrest a Nigerian the phenomenon while in trafficker in Lagos with two victims he had rescued from Burkina Faso Burkina Faso. One and was returning them to day, after rescuing Nigeria.

As the President and Founder of the National Association for the Fight Against Trafficking of Young People in Burkina Faso, known in French as Association Nationale de Lute Contre le Traffic des Jeunes ( LUTRA-JEUNE), Otoba has fought a long, lonely battle to draw attention to the human trafficking crisis. “More than 12 teenage girls are trafficked from Nigeria alone to Burkina Faso on a weekly basis and are forced against their volition to engage in compulsory selling of their bodies to pay the trafficker huge sums of money as ransom for their liberty,” said Otoba, who has been fighting human trafficking in Burkina Faso for seven years without much support or acknowledgment.

some victims and taking them to Nigeria, I returned to Burkina Faso and I was arrested and accused of being a trafficker myself,” he said.

The human trafficking network in West Africa uses Burkina Faso as a route to other West African countries such as Mali, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, and upward to North Africa and Europe by road and sea.

Burkina Faso subscribes to the definition of trafficking in the U.N. Trafficking Protocol but trafficking of young girls in the country is both internal and external.

eradicating child trafficking,” Otoba said.

For Nigerian girls, it is a long journey. Girls are often lured from states like Edo, Delta and Cross River and taken to Lagos, then Saki in Oyo State, before proceeding to Kenu or Chikanda or any other porous exit point in Kwara State.

From there, they are moved to Benin Republic and then to Burkina Faso with the help of traffickers and immigration officials only interested in money. From the moment they leave Lagos, they spend about three days on the road.

The story is the same virtually everywhere in West Africa.

The victims are promised jobs and better lives in Europe with a brief stop in Burkina Faso.

But once in Ouagadougou, instead of proceeding to Mali and the Sahara desert to get to Spain or Italy, most girls are spread to the 45 provinces in Burkina Faso and used as sex slaves.

Many girls end up in places like Bale, Banwa, Kossi, Mouhoun or Nayala. Others are moved to Sourou, Comoe, Leraba and Kadiogo while many end up sleeping with men in Boulgou, Koupelogo, Kouritenga or Bam. Many Nigerian girls are also found in Namentenga, “In Burkina Faso, the Boulkiemde, Sanguine, Sissili He spent some months in government, with the support detention, he told me, for trying of its partners, is engaged in and Ziro. Otoba put the to rescue some Nigerian sex the long-term objective of number of Nigerian girls being

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held captive in Burkina Faso and working as sex slaves to at least 6,000. He said every province has between five and twelve local government areas known as communes, and in each of the councils, there is a minimum of twelve Nigerian girls working as sex slaves in the 45 provinces.

But I wanted to see things for myself and not just listen to activists.

On the cold night of 11 January, the same day I arrived, I visited Pharmacie de gare and Ali Baba in Sankariare area and came across many girls who spoke English. It was an incredible scene of a very large crowd of revellers with girls in mini skirts, tight trousers or vests standing on one side and many young men staring from the other side. They were so close to one another that it appeared as though a fight was about to break out. It all looked like a market location where selling and buying took place.

“You can all hear them speak pidgin English. They are all Nigerian girls,” said Sawadogo Abdoulaye, a Burkinabe activist and Head of Cordination Nord-Sud, a human rights organisation that fights against human trafficking, especially trafficking of under-aged girls.

We approached three girls.

Two of them claimed to be from Edo and Delta States in Nigeria, while the other girl refused to disclose where she came from. She spoke little French with an English accent and said phrases like “Cheri coco tu veux?” (Sweetheart, do you want?”, showing her backside.

“You can see they are all very small girls. And for some of them, the breasts have not fully developed,” Sawadogo said in French. “And they are virtually all from Nigeria, very very small girls,” he lamented.

We moved behind the streets to see where actual sex took place and saw girls with braided hair, black eyeliner, garish red lipstick and mini skirts, surrounded by tall guys who acted as body guards.

We asked how much it cost for a sex romp. A girl who had just finished having sex with a

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patron and was rushing out to get another customer replied that it was a thousand franc cfa, about N350 or $2 for a quick session.

“Twenty minutes,” she said, referring to the session duration.

Sawadogo took us to other streets full of girls, many of them speaking broken French with some pidgin English. We went around town and ended up in a club with mirrors on the walls and different lights all over the room. One girl approached us, greeted us in French but with an English accent and left. Sawadogo called another girl. “Nigeria?” he asked, pronouncing Nigeria in French.

The girl replied in the affirmative. He took us inside rooms at the back of the club where sex takes place every day and we entered very small and filthy rooms with little foams on the floor.

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“Can you see where they have sex,” he asked. “And there are many places like this one full of Nigerian girls. They seem to come in every week”.

are told by the traffickers that they are taking their girls to Burkina Faso, they think they are taking them to Europe.

“Others are told that they are Otoba, my Nigerian guide taking them to Europe and and President of Lutra-Jeune, would be given new passports joined us with one other in Burkina Faso.” guy. We began discussing He advised parents to inquire over drinks. “This is a poorer very well when someone country,” I said, “why are promises to give a better life Nigerian girls coming here to their daughter in another when they can do this at country. “They should look at home?”. the map and see where they Sawadogo had a ready are taking their children.

workers who must pay their traffickers before they are set free,” he said. It had been a long day travelling and I was beginning to feel sleepy. I went back to my hotel room to prepare for the next day.

In the afternoon of 12 January, Sawadogo, Otoba, their friend and I travelled to the outskirts of town where many Nigerian girls work as sex slaves. We arrived at a brothel called ‘Bar Dancing Petit Ouaga’ in Toudoubweogo village. The answer for me: “Many parents Anyway, they are not going brothel is also known as Petit do not know where Burkina to Europe. This is where they Ouaga (Little Ouaga). Virtually Faso is. When some of them end up. They end up as sex all the girls at Petit Ouaga spoke pidgin English.

“All of them are from your country,” Sawadogo told me, referring to Nigeria. We called a very young girl to join us.

Her name was Gift, she said, and she’s from Edo State in Nigeria and had travelled with someone for three days to get to Burkina Faso in April 2014. But, instead of coming straight to Ouagadougou, she travelled first to Dori where gold is being mined manually.

Dori is about 271 kilometres from Ouagadougou. I asked her how old she was. She said she’s 18. But she looked far younger than that. Most girls who are trafficked are taught to say they are 18 years and above.

Gift: One of the victims

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She left for some minutes and Sawagodo explained that many young girls are being taken to Dori because there is a belief there that when you sleep with a virgin or a very young girl, you discover more gold.

Gift returned some minutes later and I asked her how much it will cost me for a sex romp. She said a thousand franc cfa, about N350 or $2. I followed her to a room. It was another filthy room divided into two with a piece of clothe. It was divided that way because two girls could have sex at the same time with two men. Before I could sit on the small mattress, she handed a condom over to me and was already pulling off her clothes.

She said I should hurry but I told her to wait a bit.

you out and away from this place,” I added. She told me she worked for someone and was yet to pay all her money to be set free and could not go out of the brothel. A cab brought her and other girls to the brothel every afternoon and came back to take them home at about midnight or one o’clock the following day.

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questions about the trafficker, but she would not say much. I paid her, collected her phone number and left. I joined the other guys who were having some drinks and eating some meat at a small bar in the brothel. By then, other Nigerian girls had joined them, most of them very young girls of about 16 years old. We were joined by “the middle man” for the girls, a very vibrant guy called Ouédraogo. He spoke

Ouedraogo and the trafficker

asked her if she did not want to come back to Nigeria, if she was happy with what she was doing. She said she was not happy and added that once she finishes paying, she would become independent and would make her own money.

She refused to disclose how much she had been asked to pay, but Sawadogo said, they “I will give you more money pay about 1.5 million franc cfa, but I just want us to talk and about N500,000 or $2800. be friends,” I said. “I want to be able to come here to take I spent some minutes with her in the room talking, asking her

freely about his business.

He explained how human trafficking works. The girls are brought in by some people from Nigeria and handed over to a lady he called the main trafficker in Ouagadougou, a former prostitute who was trafficked to Burkina Faso from Nigeria many years ago, and is now helping traffick other girls while she remains a high class prostitute. The lady, whom I will later meet, then hands the girls over to

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middle men like Ouédraogo who find brothels for them for a percentage of the money they make by having sex with men. At the brothels, the girls are handed over to managers who ensure patrons pay and the girls are safe.

is very tight and they cry. I like it when they cry. I like it when it is very very tight, and most men like it like that.

from Burkina Faso. You don’t need to know people’s names here. It’s a network. Just do your job, get paid and you are I can supply you with very good. You don’t need to ask young girls,” he said in French. many questions, otherwise He said he did not have the they will begin to suspect name of the trafficker but had you,” he said. He said in four her phone number and knew months he had handed over ten girls to Petit Ouaga alone, Last December, Ouédraogo where she lived and could including the six girls he was handed over six girls of take me there. brought there in December. between 14 and 16 years old He used to deal with another by the Nigerian trafficker. “Just in December, she gave me He gave examples of very brothel, he said, but the six girls. Very young girls. She young girls who were brought manager was not honest, so always gives me young girls into Burkina Faso as virgins he left him four months ago. because she knows she can and had to sleep with them In four months, he said, he trust me,” he said over drinks. first before passing them to had bought a brand new I told him about Gift, the girl the manager at Petit Ouaga motorcycle. from Edo State. He said there brothel. I asked him if he knew “I bought the bike for 472,000 the manager of the brothel were even younger ones. and where he hailed from. “I franc cfa (about N160,000),” “There are even younger ones, don’t know his name but he is he said. “That’s a lot of when you sleep with them, it money,” I countered. “Can you make such an amount in four months?” He replied in the affirmative. It was getting late.

I took my leave and scheduled an appointment with him the next day, 13 January.

That day, on his motorcycle, I crisscrossed Ouagadougou with Ouédraogo. The Nigerian trafficker, he said, lived at Ouaga 2000, an upscale neighbourhood for wealthy people, including expatriates and tourists.

Located in the southern fringe of Ouagadougou, Ouaga 2000 was originally built for the 1996 French Africa Summit. It is a Kenu border in Kwara State

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The burnt National Assembly in Ouagadougou

very beautiful area with many lovely and expensive hotels, embassies, courthouses and other government buildings, including Kosyam Palace, the seat of the Burkinabe President. He called the trafficker on the phone and told her his friend from Paris in France had arrived Ouaga with plenty cash and would want to see her. “She’s a trafficker but she’s still a prostitute for wealthy clients,” he told me.

She sometimes sleeps with big clients from Paris, London and other European countries. He asked her if he could bring me home. She said we should meet first at a restaurant nearby. But I told Ouédraogo to take me to her house first.

“I like beautiful houses and I would like to see where she lives at Ouaga 2000,” I said. Her house, a beautiful bungalow, was surrounded by other beautiful houses and was located not far away from

‘Complexe Scolaire Naaba Yemde’, which was situated in Saaba at Ouaga 2000, Ouagadougou. “This is the kind of house I would like to have,” Ouédraogo told me.

“I really want to know the people she knows so I can supply my own girls,” he said. “By the grace of God, I will make it.

Not far from the trafficker’s house was another beautiful house Ouédraogo described as being owned by the trafficker’s friend. “Her best friend lives here,” he said, pointing at the beautiful house, bigger and more beautiful than the trafficker’s house. As we approached where the trafficker was, he warned me: “Do not speak English with her, if you do, she will become suspicious. She will also pretend not to speak English, but she does. She is Nigerian and she speaks English.” I agreed because I speak fluent French. We finally met the trafficker at a highbrow brothel with many girls under her. She gave me a name I could barely understand. Ouédraogo told her she should come and get the 14 year old girl who had been crying all day. I listened to their conversation patiently.

I will one day live in a house like this,” he said as we rushed to meet the trafficker. He told me he lost his father when he was two years old and his mother died when he was 19 years old. His elder brother, an architect, has been saying that he has already failed in life, but he will prove to him wrong, he said. “I will do all I can to also build something A day earlier, Ouédraogo was like this,” he said. invited to Petit Ouaga, where I

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had met him, by the manager to talk to the 14 year old girl.

She had been fighting other girls and crying, he was told.

I asked the trafficker if she could supply some young girls to me. She said that

used the opportunity to discover Ouédraogo’s house in Somgande area of Ouagadougou. He had been telling me about a house he had just built and I was curious to see it. With his

church, but he had refused to go because he can make it on his own. In his house, the pictures of Thomas Sankara, Burkina Faso’s ex-president who was assassinated on 15 October, 1987, were

motorcycle, we sped up and quickly arrived at Somgande, an area with mud houses.

It appeared to me like the worst part of town. Before getting to his house, he showed me his brother’s house in Kossodo area, a beautiful area with lovely buildings.

everywhere. “He was a great man,” he said, “he was our leader.”

Kenu border in Kwara State

would not be a problem.

After a conversation, a drink and some pictures, I left with Ouédraogo and scheduled an appointment with her the next day, 14 January. From the way it looked, it appeared as though, the trafficker’s friend in the other big and beautiful house, was a bigger trafficker.

“She’s not just a prostitute.

She’s still sleeps with big men at night and day time, but she’s also the one placing the girls,” Ouédraogo said of the trafficker.

“I will one day build a bigger house,” Ouédraogo said as we passed by his brother’s house. Once I understand the business, I will have my own girls and build a bigger The next day, the trafficker house in Ouaga 2,000,” he was busy with some said. He told me his brothers shopping in town and I had been inviting him to

Ouédraogo took me around Ouagadougou and we made a brief stop at the National Assembly that had been set ablaze two months earlier following nationwide protests that ousted long serving leader, Blaize Compaore, the man believed to have masterminded the killing of Sankara. “I was among those protesting,” he said. “We chased him away.” During the looting that followed, Ouédraogo got two bags of rice, he said.

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I joined Sawadogo and Otoba on a visit to Touwego cemetery in Ouagadougou where two Nigerian girls had been buried two months earlier. “Elizabeth and Mary died about two months ago. They were from Calabar and were about 16 years old,” said Sawadogo.

trafficking. “We need assistance to do this job. We need to create more awareness. We need to be able to rescue these girls and travel back with them to Nigeria and re-unite them with their families. Those who cannot go back, we need to be able to equip them here,” “Mary was raped and fell sick said Otoba, President of Lutraand died. Both used to sleep at Jeune in Ouagadougou since Dapoya in Ouagadougou here.” 2007.

Sawadogo said the Nigerian The next day, 15 January, Otoba Embassy in Burkina Faso had took me to the car park on his not been helpful in supporting motorcycle at 4 o’clock in the NGOs that combat human morning and I began the long

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journey back home. I arrived in bustling Lagos in the afternoon the next day, 16 January, after 28 hours on the road, totally exhausted.

–This report was accomplished with the support of the Wole Soyinka Centre For Investigative Journalism and the Embassy of The Netherlands thenewsnigeria.com.ng/2015/02/humantrafficking-the-burkina-faso-ring/

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Trafficked Nigerian girl dies in Burkina Faso

By Simon Ateba February 26, 2015

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Gift in Ouagadougou, Photo: Simon Ateba

Nigerian girl who was trafficked to the West African country of Burkina Faso has been found dead barely a month after an investigative report exposed the awful conditions she and other

Nigerian girls are subjected What he discovered was to in Ouagadougou, the a sophisticated human capital of Burkina Faso. trafficking ring that takes Our correspondent, Ateba, girls from Nigeria with false travelled to Ouagadougou promises of making their in early January to unravel lives better in Europe via the booming human Burkina Faso.

trafficking business in the The victim, known as landlocked country.

Gift, was sold the same

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promises but ended up working as a sex slave in ‘Bar Dancing Petit Ouaga’, a brothel in Toudoubweogo village in Ouagadougou.

Our correspondent met her on 12 January this year during his investigation but she was found dead mid February.

Gift who hails from Edo state in Nigeria, narrated how she had travelled with someone for three days to get to Burkina Faso in April 2014.

But, instead of going straight to Ouagadougou, she travelled to Dori where gold is being mined manually. Dori is about 271 kilometres from Ouagadougou.

She claimed she was 18 years old but she appeared younger than that. Most girls who are trafficked are taught to say they are 18 years and above.

Gift expressed hope that once she has paid the traffickers some money, she would be free to move on with her life.

But she died a week During the conversation ago, two activists said, with our correspondent, as many other trafficked

Nigerian girls who have died there far away from their family members, and not close to their dream lives. ‎See for Ateba’s reportage on “Human Trafficking: The Burkina Faso Ring” (‎http://thenewsnigeria. c o m. n g/2015/02/09/h u m an-

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trafficking-the-burkina-faso-ring/)

In Pictures:

Nigeria’s hardworking women in agriculture

by Emmanuel Osodi

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February 9, 2015

t this local palm oil processing mill, farmers boil, ferment and press the palm fruits to extract the palm oil that is poured into drums and taken to the big markets in

town. Sometimes, the buyers come to book and pick up their drums of palm oil when business is good, though this not usually the case.

At this local palm oil processing mill, farmers boil,

ferment and press the palm fruits to extract the palm oil that is poured into drums and taken to the big markets in town. Sometimes, the buyers come to book and pick up their drums of palm oil when

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business is good, though this Twenty-three year old Bidemi not usually the case Kehinde, straps her baby to the back while working of the Eighty percent of women production of palmoil in an in Ekuku-Agbor town are oil palm mill in Ajose Camp, farmers and, in more ways Ondo State, Nigeria than one, also traders, Says Charity Ebuniwa, 30, “my These women, young, husband and I do oil palm middleaged and some in their farming together. He harvests 60s, combine both farm work them from the palm tree and produntion of local oil while I gather the bunches for palm in an oil mill belonging processing.

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(right) and Chikwadi (left) peal cassava tubes they harvested from their farm in Agbor town, Delta state Mrs. Philomena Achafor returning home with sacks of cassava harvested from the farm in Ekuku-Agbor town in Delta State, Nigeria. She rides her motorbike to her farm located some kilometres away and comes back home to make garri from the cassava after processing the tubers Esther Ijeabo, 54, frying garri, a staple eaten in southern Nigeria, at the back of her house in Ute Erumu town in Agbor, Delta State, Esther has been in the business since she was a young teenager

Evelyn Michael is taking out boiled oil palm fruits from the fire to be processed into palm oil, usually manually, and always by women.

The production line is quite long but these women do so much for so long that they go home everyday, tired; and of course they age very fast due to many factors

to Mr. Kayode Toluwalase at Ajose Camp near Ore town in Ondo State, Nigeria.

Elsewhere, Christiana Onybie, mother of seven, lost her husband to a malaria infection and has been supporting her children through farming and casual labour jobs in a local oil palm mill.

Mrs. Veronica Atuye (left) and her two daughters, Patricia

After many years of backbreaking farm work, Mrs Maria Omebiye, 60, with little or no healthcare provision by the government is currently suffering from waist pain and arthritis.

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Women farming is more than palm oil and cassava. Here, Roseline Gabriel (right) and her colleague in Ilutuntun camp Odigbo Local government area in Ondo State prepare kolanuts for sale at the big Ore market. The work is often tedious and monotonous and with very little profit

farm at Ajose camp near Ore in Ondo State Even with Nigeria’s unreasonable dependence on only oil to run her economy, many more exports abound.

Mrs. Mary David, mother of six harvesting cocoa in her Funmi Toluwalase, plantation farm in Ilutuntun breastfeeds her toddler, Femi camp in Odigbo Local while Ayo (left) and Tope wait Government Area, Ondo State as pickers and palm kernel for their father at 7:33 pm. breakers.

Mr. Kayode Toluwalase will bring home the harvest on Group of women who do dif- www.pmnewsnigeria.com/2015/02/09/ in-pictures-nigerias-hardworkinghis motorcycle while (his wife ferent kinds of work on farms women-in-agriculture/ and sons will follow on foot) around Ute Erumu town, Delafter the day’s job on their ta State. These women work

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Maternal mortality: The plight of women in Nigeria Gift Chapi

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February 8, 2015

regnant women, even healthy ones, face some risk of complications that has resulted in death or serious disabilities. Each year, an estimated 529,000 women die from pregnancy-

related causes, with most cases occurring in developing countries of Africa and Asia.

Yet, the deaths are only a tip of the iceberg; for every death, at least 30 women suffer serious illness or debilitating injuries.

In many sub-Saharan African countries, many women receive no medical care before, during or after childbirth. Even deliveries in health facilities can be risky due to poor quality of obstetric care.

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The same pregnancy-related complications that threaten women’s survival can also cause death and disability in new-borns, while the same health assistance that would save women’s lives could also prevent suffering on the part of women who survive and also their new born babies.

Nigeria accounts for about 13 percent of the global maternal death rates with an estimated 36,000 women dying in pregnancy or at child birth each year. At least 5500 of these deaths are among teenage mothers.

The Demographic Health Survey 2013 disclosed that only 9.8 percent of Nigerian Maternal mortality is very women use modern family high in Nigeria despite planning methods, while 16.1 many efforts to reduce its percent have an expressed incidence and, generally, to unmet need for family improve maternal health. planning.

“51 percent of pregnant women had at least four antenatal care visits only 38 percent of the annual 6.6 million births in Nigeria were assisted by a skilled attendant,” it said.

More so data made available by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) however noted that over the last 20 years, Nigeria has made significant progress in reducing the maternal mortality ratio. It, however, added that Nigeria has to make concerted efforts to reach the Millennium Development Goal of 300 per 100,000 (or under 20,000 annual deaths) by 2015.

Nigeria

also

has

recently estimated the ratio at 948 per 100,000 live births.

Against this backdrop it is expected that health care professionals should have a common goal of caring for their patient’s wellbeing; it is interesting to note that most government hospitals in Nigeria today have undedicated, careless and unskilled health workers who also have developed a nonchalant attitude toward their work which in return has affected their patients especially the pregnant women.

The hostility of health workers has greatly contributed to the rate of maternal mortality in Nigeria today because most women tend not to get the best care from providers especially in government hospitals who ought to be concerned for them.

260,000 neonatal deaths annually, 13 percent of which can be prevented with live saving interventions such as provision of required maternal health medicines and supplies, qualified and dedicated health workers.

Investigations made by Mail Express reveals that some members of staff of the hospitals in the FCT operate as touts and demand extra money to speed up access and dispense drugs to pregnant women.

According to the World Health Organization, the maternal mortality ratio of Nigeria was estimated 800 per 100,000 live births in 2000, and the about Federal Ministry of Health

Speaking with pregnant women at some government hospitals in Abuja reveals that it is better to get a bed space at the private hospitals than the public ones because some

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nurses sell the bed spaces at the hospital and those who don’t have money don’t get admitted even if there are registered there.

workers (nurses and Doctors) need to do the right thing or else the issue of maternal mortality in Nigeria cannot be tamed, our hospitals lack Eunice Steven who lost good health facilities and her child due to prolonged health workers on their part child labour narrates her don’t have the interest of their experience with nurses at the patients at heart a majority of Asokoro General Hospital in the exploited people attend the hospitals” Abuja.

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according to her is very bad for a woman with such a condition.

Mrs Folurunso Adeleke and Mrs Khadijat Mustapha said though the cost of health service was cheaper at public hospitals, they prefer private hospitals.

According to them, the sorry state of public hospitals has “If you want quick service, you made it difficult for them to have to part with some money register for antenatal there. if you don’t pay this extra charge, then it’s as good as “Though, it is cheaper to you did not come, she added. register at the public health institutions for antenatal, Mrs Lucy Gorge, a pregnant the service delivery is poor woman at the hospital said compared to what one gets “pregnant women are not at the private hospital. A finding it easy in government hospitals at all, the majority of us go through hell to see a doctor and we are not treated with care by nurses, that is why the rich once will go to private hospitals but those who can’t afford private hospital will rather go through the stress which most time make women lose their children if care is not taken” she lamented.

“On the day I was to give birth to a child, I came to the hospital and there I met pregnant women sitting and crying on the floor we were told that there was no bed spaces to be admitted so I had to go to Wuse General Hospital, there I was rejected again on the basis that I was not registered there and the beds were all occupied, then the pain became severe and I started to cry because at that point I did not know where to go to anymore, then a nurse walked up to me and said I should pay N5,000 so I could be given a bed, I had no choice so I did and I was admitted by the time I was attended to, my babe was dead already in the womb so I was induced and I However, in Maitama General Hospital, some pregnant had a still birth”. women who spoke with Mail “That was my first child and Express said the attitude of since then I have vowed not most nurses at the hospital to patronize any government has affected most pregnant hospital anymore when it women so much and left comes to child birth despite some women in a confused the fact that it is cheap, the state during delivery which government and the health

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pregnant woman is made to pay for effective health service at private hospital but even when you pay at the public hospital, the service you get cannot be compared with that of a good private hospital,” Mrs Adeleke said.

to their work and more so improve on their customer relations but also the government is not left out because most of these doctors, nurses, lab attendants have limited equipment to work with, you can imagine a pregnant woman in serious labour comes to the hospital and there is no bed space to admit her or a woman who has just given birth and lacks blood in her body cannot get blood immediately because it is not available in the hospital.

Some of the expectant women who spoke with Mail Express at the Gwagwalada Specialist Hospital on condition of anonymity told of some difficulties they went through before accessing the services because of the large population of expectant With the recent strike in the mothers that come for health sector, Mail Express antenatal care. visited the National Hospital One of them said: “At times, in Abuja, activities were at the population of pregnant their lowest ebb, with the women in the hospital is large, environment deserted, and making it a bit difficult before no nurse available. A few doctors were however at work we could be attended to. to give assistance to patients “Though the health workers on appointment before the need to be more dedicated commencement of the strike

The wards were locked up some pregnant women could be seen begging and crying to medical doctors to attend to them while some were seen sitting and hanging around in confusion.

These and more shows the some of them suffer, during plight of pregnant women pregnancy and after birth. who don’t have the means to Alex Uzoma a medical doctor go to a private hospital, how

speaking with Mail Express attributed some of the attitudes of health workers to lack of professionalism.

“Most of our health workers in Nigeria today lack professionalism, as a medical doctor or a nurse your patient is your number one priority, you are expected to handle your patient in a way that he or she gets both physical and psychological healing” he said.

“In the case of pregnant women not having bed space in hospitals I will like to say it is not the making of doctors or nurses, many times they have more patients then the available beds in the hospital at that time, what can the doctors or nurses do? They are handicapped so most of these issues are what the government need to address also” he said Thus, the current issue of health workers’ nonchalant attitude toward pregnant women in the health sectors especially the government hospitals calls for an urgent action by the relevant authorities to make sure health workers do not neglect their job and responsibility especially as they relate to maternal health care. www.mailexpressonline.com/maternalmortality-the-plight-of-women-in-nigeria

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Insecurity keeps Nomad Kids from school Grace Obike January 27, 2015

Their ordeal is not as documented as that of thousands of people killed or forced from their homes

by Boko Haram insurgents. Yet, across the nation, especially in the North, children of migrant folks are finding it increasingly difficult to go to school for fear of being cut down in communal clashes.

GRACE OBIKE reports on the challenges of nomadic women and their kids.

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calabash of fura de nono, a rich, fresh milk delicacy, is still offered the guest with the same enthusiasm and hospitality of the forebears. The Fulani relish their culture; what is in short supply is peace.

Unfortunately, their story is not as documented as the ravages of Boko Haram insurgents, who have carved out large swathes of territory in the region’s eastern flank.

Thousands have been cut down by the sect’s fighters, many more forced to flee

their homes and seek refuge have crashed, as has the wherever they can find it. education of their children.

Survivors’ sources of livelihood Crisis is hurting Boko Haram

Group of young Fulani mothers, wives and children in Chumanga

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targets.

Fulani herders and local farmers, who are often at loggerheads, are also suffering. For both communities, their means of sustenance is dwindling.

Their children have difficulties going to school.

Territory, said they found it difficult sending their children to school owing to the frequent crises.

The National Commission for Nomadic Education (NCNE) has offered nomdic folks a great opportunity Fulani women, who spoke to educate themselves but the reporter in Nasarawa insecurity is hurting the State and the Federal Capital plan.

Sixty-year-old Hauwa Usman in Gwako Fulani community in the FCT, said she gave birth to 14 children, 11 of them dead.

This has “Right now,” she said, “all we seek as Fulani women, is peace; the numerous crises that always erupt affect us so much and have put so much fear in us. All we hear these days is that person was killed, that person killed, cows stolen and people driven from their homes. Can anyone live in peace in such a situation?

the fears in our minds.”

Zulia Abdullahi, 15, who resides in the community should be in school. But she is not. Rather she is already married and had a child, who died a few weeks after birth. At that tender age, she is already bearing the pain of bereaved older mothers. Like most nomadic young mothers, Zulia left her husband’s home five months into her pregnancy and returned to her parent’s home in Tudun Fulani to deliver her first child. She was expected to leave the child with her parents at the age of two.

“The biggest problem we have at the moment is the lack of peace; we are so scared and cannot even send our children to school even if we wanted to because we are afraid of them being killed. All we ask for is that the government assist us in achieving peace and end all Like most of her peers, Zulia

was practically forced to marry another nomad living in the opposite part of town called Kabusa. She could not refuse the union even though she would have loved to because she wanted an opportunity to go to school like a few of her neighbours.

But her parents never allowed her to go to school, wanting her to marry the man they chose for her. She said she felt it was her duty as a good daughter to marry whoever her parents choose for her.

“If something where to happen to my husband or marriage, I will then be free to choose who to marry, whether in the bush or city; it will then be my decision. I had always wanted to go to schoolý, I still do but now I am married and will have to give up the dream because, as a married woman, I am not allowed to leave the house other than to go sell fura or travel. By the grace of God, when I have children again since my baby just died, I will ensure they acquire as much education as their intelligence can take, since I can never be the civil servant that I always wanted to be, not being educated. I will ensure that my husband allow our children to acquire enough education because I know that they will be capable of taking care of me better in my old age.”

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Although Zulia would have loved to live her dream of being a civil servant, she is not condemning her early marriage because, according to her, nomadic girls older than 15 are treated differently.

marriage with her, but at that age, the girl is not yet wise but will be made to marry all the same. The husband is the one that comes and asks your parents for your hand in marriage and as a girl, you have no input in it, which is not a good way to live because it “I’m not unhappy to marry is what a person desires that when I did, because in our gives him peace of mind.” culture, if a girl at 15 is still in her parents’ house and unmarried, people will call her Zulia’s mother, Hajara Yusufu, wicked and say that no one is 45, had always wanted to be coming to marry her because a medical doctor. It is a secret of her wicked ways, they will she never shared with anyone. make fun of her wherever she She claimed that her older goes and she will always have children have never been to to hide her face in shame. We school while her youngest marry very early, which is not child and grandchildren really good. Even if I had not whom she has tried to enroll been willing to marry when I in a nearby nomadic school did, the fear of what people are afraid of returning to the will say would force me into school because of the crises marriage. When a girl is 12, the between Fulani herdsmen parents will start discussing and farmers which has caused so much havoc.

Young Fulani mother backing her baby in Chumanga hamlet

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whenever I go into the city all the time to sell my fura de nono and sometimes wish that I were born in a different situation. I would have loved to be a doctor, I admire them anytime I go to the hospital and see them.”

On her part, 70-year-old Halima who resides in Chumanga hamlet, a quiet settlement in Wamba Local Government Area of Nasarawa State, has never been to school even though she would have loved to.

Surrounded by several children and grand children, her greatest regret is that she never had the opportunity to be educated.

Her greatest wish is the return of peace so that they can return to school and live out her dream. She said she dreamed of telling people that they are her children.

However, she was quick to say that the decision of whether they go to school or not is not hers to take but her She told The Nation: “My husband’s. greatest regret in life is She said: “I see people in not attaining any form of huge cars and nice houses education because if I had, I

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would probably be in a big city and beautiful house, relaxing instead of living and dying in this bush.”

She said all has done all her life has been to be ready to gather the children and move from place to place whenever her husband said so. She said that she has walked all over the North Central on foot and alongside her children and presently young

grandchildren. Her greatest fear however is the thought of another migration because her feet hurt with arthritis and it will not be an easy journey for her, but with a show of strength, she still said, “Well if the husband today decides that we ought to move, I will simply pack up and obey because it is not my place to question my husband. He decides what happens in the family”.

Even though the NCNE has been established by a decree to cater for the educational needs of the socially excluded, educationally disadvantaged and migrant groups in Nigeria, available records show that only 519,018 children of nomads are currently in school. It was also discovered that out of 10.4 million migrant groups in the country comprising pastoral, migrant fisher folks and migrant farmers, about 3.6

Bilkisu Musa is not interested in sending her children to school even though she did not attend any school herself. She is not interested in having her children obtain any form of education.

Said she, “I don’t have any interest in going to school neither do I want my children to go. The country is now very dangerous and I prefer knowing that my children are close. I want them to learn the traditional nomadic ways and live our normal life in peace.”

Investigations by The Nation revealed that the most prevalent thing in the Fulani nomadic community is infant mortality. It was gathered that the women have been thought to accept the death of their

children as the will of God. Bilkisu whose two children, out of seven, are dead, said, “When we get pregnant, we don’t go to any hospital, attend antenatal or take any drug; it is not part of our culture. You stay at home and when the time comes to have your baby, you close your curtain and deliver your child on your own without help from anyone. That is our culture. When you see that any bush Fulani is taken to a hospital, then you must know that the condition is critical.”

60 year old Hauwa Usman in front of her hut in Gwako community, Gwagwalada, Abuja

million are children of school age. The participation of the nomads in existing education programme is very low as the

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literacy rate ranges between 0.02% to 2.0% at the early age of implementing the Nomadic Education Programme but so far, the number of nomadic schools around the country has risen from 329 at the inception of the programme in 1990 to 3,445 as at December 2013, with pupils enrolment, rising from 18,831 at inception to 519,018 by the above date.

The October 2014 edition of the nomadic education bulletin quoted the Executive secretary NCNE, Prof.

Rasheed Aderinoye as saying that “the situation is worst for the nomadic girlchild in northern Nigeria, who is often marginalised and at a disadvantaged position in the family due to cultural factors and religious misinterpretation.

The nomadic girl-child in northern Nigeria is doubly disadvantaged, given her sex, age and ethnicity. The girl-child is surrounded with culture and social settings that neither recognizses nor appreciates the value of girl education.

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and gender discrimination but brings to bear the effects of institutionalized patriarchal practices hidden under religion and culture to perpetuate injustice and unfair distribution of opportunities.”

Making a girl child stay in school or marry is an individual decision by the parents and they cannot be forced upon by the constitution, how can you force someone to do what he doesn’t want?

You cannot force me to do State Secretary, Miyyetti Allah such a thing because I can Cattle Breeders Association of take you to court because Nigeria, (MACBAN) Nasarawa of the democratic system of chapter, Alhaji Mohammed government that we presently Hussaini explained that the have.” major reason for Nomadic He also said, “In some parts of Fulani’s slow pace in education Kaduna right now, most of the is insecurity that has plagued nomadic Fulani have migrated them for years. He said that to the western part of the if peace is restored, the country, to Ghana and other Nomadic Fulani will send his countries to keep their cows child to school. from being stolen…Nomadic “If there is peace today in the schools were closed down whole country, Fulanis will or burnt to the ground by go to school. I am a nomadic the Ombatse group; so were Fulani and my father sent several settlements.”

me to school since 1976 and today I have attained so many degrees. Yes, our girls drop out of school early to marry but the government cannot put in place any legislation to stop it because our religion permits us to marry our girls early; religion sometimes can overcome the constitution; we have people that send their The socio-cultural context daughters to school, we have of her existence not only thousands of female nomadic encourages social exclusion Fulani graduates in Nigeria.

As The Nation made to leave the Gwako community, after several bows of Fura de Nono, 60-year-old Hauwa, full of excitement, thrust a N20 note into the reporter’s hand, insisting that she take it for fare back to town.

thenationonlineng.net/insecurity-keepsnomad-kids-school/

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How women are imprisoned in hospitals

By Shirley Igbinedion (This Story was originally published by GOVERNMENT Newspaper. GOVERNMENT is a national Newspaper published in Nigeria weekly by Leadership group LTD.)

H

aving a new baby could bear different feelings for different people. To some, it bears a lot of happiness but

to others, it doesn’t. This could however change in a split second. To Mary Ighodalo, it was a good feeling. She was well, expectant, given she had

got married only a year ago and it was her first baby. She was very nervous too. She had heard so much about the process of childbirth.

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She had been told it was very painful but in the end, it was worth every second of it. She thus tried to prepare her mind as she was wheeled into the maternity ward of one of the general hospitals in Abuja. The pain was already kicking in, she could feel it.

She had expected it wouldn’t last for long everything would go smoothly and she would push out her baby normally but that wasn’t to be. For several hours she was in labour and it had to be brought to an end through a cesarean section (CS).

“After birth, my baby developed complications and had to be taken to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) where new born babies who have medical issues are kept and looked after,” she said. She thought she had it very bad, until she met other women whose children were also being kept there for several reasons.

“Since we were all there for the same reason, it didn’t take much for us to start interacting and being

supportive of one other. We encouraged ourselves on the improvement of the health of our children, shared our birth stories, our fears concerning our children and other such issues. For example, if you go to the NICU ward to see your child and meet another child crying, you could run back to the ward to tell the mother of the child to come soothe her baby, if the nurses are too busy attending to others. Since it was the same medical team attending to all the children, we also got to analyze them and talk about the way they handled the children and other issues,” she narrated to GOVERNMENT.

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she had to remain there while her husband who is a commercial motor cycle rider went around trying to source for the money. I ended up leaving her there after my one month’s stay. I was told she had been there two weeks before I came,” Ighodalo said.

The false imprisonment of women in government hospitals have become an issue of concern, even within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). GOVERNMENT visited the 350-capacity University of Abuja Teaching Hospital (UATH) and listened to tales of women who have become so uncertain of, well, everything, A particular category of women since everything depends caught her attention in all this on their ability to leave the – the women whom despite hospital which time has proved their children having made may be an impossibility. full recovery and their being discharged, still remained in the hospital. According to her, For middle-aged trader, Glory they were forced to stay back Ikenna, for instance, the battle because they were unable to for survival was on two fronts. pay their bills.

First, she wanted to deliver “There was this woman whose safely and then she had to bill was N200,000 both for the recover from the loss of her CS and the baby’s stay in the kidney. She was brought into Neonatal Intensive Care Unit the hospital when she noticed (NICU). They had been able a painful unusual swelling in to raise the sum of N50,000 her stomach that had nothing which they already paid but to do with the pregnancy she

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was carrying. “I went to have it checked at the hospital I was told that one of my kidneys had failed.

“Eventually, I was admitted in the hospital and had 12 litres of fluid drained out of me. I have spent over two months in the hospital and even had my baby,” she narrated.

Eventually she was declared fit to go home but then, there was a problem.

She told GOVERNMENT, “We managed to pay N30,000 of the bills and still have over N200,000 unsettled bills to pay. We have spent almost N50,000 on bed and medication alone in recent time and we can’t afford it anymore; now they are chasing us out of the bed.” On one hand, she is burdened by the rigour of nursing her infant baby. On the other, she is battling her ailment, with a tube connected to her body draining out fluid. Then there was the peril of raising the money to cover the bills, left for her husband who is unemployed.

both physically and psychologically. She stressed that she will still be trapped in the hospital even if she is officially discharged, as she cannot settle her bills.

To Ighodalo a student who was able to settle her bills, thanks to her husband who works as a medical doctor in the hospital she was admitted, it is pitiable to see women in such condition.

In Wuse General Hospital was Rakia Owolabi, an assistant in a security company in Abuja, who developed fibroid during her pregnancy. According to her, she was diagnosed with fibroid as far back as 2007 and she was scheduled for an operation in August 2008.

The operation was aborted due to a strike by medical doctors and now that she was pregnant, it became a bigger problem because the doctors told her they couldn’t operate the fibroid as it could hurt the baby she was carrying.

of the fibroid and had her baby a few months later through another operation.

Her sister was able to pay part of the initial N200,000 she had incurred. It was the N75,330 it cost to carry out the caesarean operation for the delivery of her baby that caused them both to be detained. Her bills have continued to pile up and she now risks being evicted from the hospital bed.

It isn’t uncommon for such women to abandon their babies, if they get a chance to escape from the prison as was the case the mother of a baby, about seven months of age.

GOVERNMENT gathered that she’d had the baby through CS and it was put in NICU. She ended up running away and leaving the baby behind and at the mercy of the nurses and other hospital staff. All efforts to trace her proved abortive as she couldn’t be found at the address she was given and the whereabouts and She was however successfully that of her husband remains The physical and mental operated upon to get rid unknown to this day. pain she feels is excruciating

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Records reveal that there, exists an army of patients who have officially been discharged from public hospitals but are unable to leave because of unsettled bills. Some have even made the beds and floors of the hospital their permanent homes, given the length of time they have

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we invited, only one honoured the invitation and only less than N500,000 was realised, mainly from redeemed pledges from our staff,” said Alabi who Alabi said the management added that it is becoming very had explored all various ways necessary to talk about money of addressing the problem because it costs money to run but all, including soliciting the hospitals. back patients no matter their condition as they are a referral centre. “Most people would have exhausted their money before reaching here.”

Mary Ighodalo forced to stay back because she was unable to pay her bills

been there. In such cases, help from staff members have rather than remain stagnant proved none effective. or reduce, the bills continue to pile up as they are charged per day for.

In 2010, for instance, he said In explaining the situation, the hospital decided to launch Chief Medical Director, a fund called Indigent Patients UATH, Dr. Peter Alabi, said Fund (IPF) with a board to public hospitals, especially raise about N10m. “But tertiary ones cannot turn surprisingly of all the people

Another doctor who didn’t want his name disclosed in print because he is a government employee and wasn’t authorized to speak on the issue disclosed that maternal care which includes antenatal and normal vaginal delivery entails little or no fee.

“It is when major procedures like CS are carried out that the bills run because there is no government subsidy on that. For normal vaginal delivery, the patient can be billed as little as N5,000 or even less but it could climb up to N300,000 if for instance, she undergoes CS, her child develops complications and need treatment too and that keeps them both in the hospital for weeks or months. They would have to pay for the bed space and those treatments,” he said.

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As Alabi explained, “We don’t get anything we use for free, we buy our drugs on credit from suppliers and the money has to be recouped and paid.

That is why we are having lots of issues with people

who cannot pay their bills,” he said. He disclosed that all consumables in the hospital are sourced from a revolving fund made available to the hospital and “there is no seed money from anywhere.”

“Put yourself in her shoes. Imagine you gave birth to a baby. It is bad enough that you had an operation. It gets worse when your baby develops medical issues, worse still is being told you cannot go home to rest and regain yourself after that kind of harrowing experience because you cannot afford to pay your bills. You are detained and left at the mercy of doctors, nurses and other patients. You see people come and go. You receive abuses sometimes from heartless nurses, all because you

(JOHESU), pressure has begun being mounted on private hospitals.

GOVERNMENT witnessed this in a very notable private hospital (as far child care goes) within the Abuja metropolis where a woman whose sick two-day old baby was denied treatment because she was unable to pay the required sum.

According to her, she had had her delivery at home due to the strike in the government hospitals and knowing fully that she couldn’t afford the services of a private hospital.

Unfortunately, her baby developed medicals problems and rushed the baby to the closest hospital. “The doctors have refused to commence treatment until I make a N15,000 deposit. Where do I get that kind of money from?

She asked.

cannot pay your bills. It’s sad!” she said.

He disclosed that the Internal Generated Revenue (IGR) of the hospital is about N2m per month which comes nowhere close to the running cost over the same period and their overhead budget have

Be that as it may, private nose-dived from N13m in hospitals appear to have 2008 to about N6m in 2014, developed a system that notwithstanding increasing makes it unnecessary to detain patients. The medical demands. director of one of the biggest With the long period of strike private hospitals within the by the Joint Health Staff Union Abuja city centre revealed to

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bump in. Patients generally speaking in this environment [upscale and in the heart of Abuja] are registered or they start seeing you and later on, they register for antenatal.

They must have been your patient before they become pregnant so when that happens, they just continue. It is uncommon for them to just bump in unprepared to have a baby and not knowing the bills. This to him is because “God has made it that he has given you all that length of time, nine whole months you are supposed to use it to get ready to cover your hospital bills.”

Glory Ikenna forced to stay back because she was unable to pay her bills.

GOVERNMENT that doctors are usually can tell when a patient’s case is an emergency and when it’s not, those who can pay and those who cannot.

When asked about expectant mothers they take deliveries of who are unable to pay, he said, “Normally our patients know the rules. They don’t just

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we do is ask him to contact his relatives. Sometimes, they have the money and need to wait for someone to bring it. Sometimes, we take a commitment from her relatives, if we know them but we minute we discover they are unable to pay, we let them go,” he said, adding that the only condition they detain patients is if they know she can pay.

While Alabi said the situation in government hospitals persist because as referral hospitals, they cannot turn away patients, this internationally trained doctor believes it persists because they are He agrees that women who “government owned and can have surgeries in the birth afford to do what they want.” process should not be placed on the same level as those Speaking on the implication who have normal deliveries. of that, he said hospitals, no “Somebody might just come to matter their ownership lose you with an emergency, he has a lot of money from treating collapse, short of blood, had patients and not be able to get an accident or any such thing payment from them. “It costs or they bring an asthmatic money we cannot even begin patient to you. Of course you to quantify but we are used to help him. You do as much losing but it costs even more as you can. Unfortunately, to let them hang on still.” you find out, after expending Going by his explanation, it is your resources, that the not economical at all to keep person does not have patients for so long because money to pay you. What

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“she occupies your bed space or floor space that could be used for other purposes.

How does that help you, really? Here, if I see that you would even stay overnight, I’d rather forego the bill because I don’t know what it would actually mean, it could even be a security risk so it is very unwise to keep such people, at least in my hospital.

To him, the hospitals are not to be blamed entirely as it is a problem of the Nigerian society.

“There are no standards and you cannot report to anybody because there is no law and order. Since you cannot go and report to anybody and if I take her to court, we may never reach a settlement… for peanuts, compared to my time and what I could have done for other patients.

“If a patient comes to my hospital and after treatment she doesn’t pay either deliberately or because she is unable to, I would be worried more about wasting any more of my time. This is because I could have used that time to either rest or write reports

or see another patient or go and pray or do other more important things, even listen to music. But she has taken up all that time and she didn’t help you in any way, she didn’t pay his bills, meaning she didn’t show any appreciation.

It doesn’t feel good for doctors but there is nothing we can do as we are so used to it.

GOVERNMENT gathered that several ‘imprisoned’ patients at public hospitals actually enjoy the status and are profiteering from it. “Some of them started off with a genuine case but even after their bills were sorted, they still stayed back and continue to beg for alms. They can tell you such pitiful stories that would move you and conveniently forget to add that they have been cleared to go but choose to stay put because they are enjoying the freebies they get from Good Samaritans,” said a pharmacist with the Kubwa General Hospital who only wants to be identified as Jane.

the greyed medical director of the private hospital said, “They know it is not the standard, its not what we are used to doing because they know if they come, we would first insist on that bill being paid, until maybe the medical director or another director crosses and we have seen that she has tried as much as possible to raise the money.

“Also don’t forget that doctors are able to tell right on the spot if a case is an emergency or not. If he is pretending, there are some things he’d do, we’d know he’s pretending so I would just refer him, I wouldn’t even waste my time on his ‘emergency’ because I know there is no emergency.

However, instead of telling him there is no emergency in his case and he may not even be sick, because it would sound bad, I would rather just refer him to the general hospital, saying I do not have the facility to treat them,” he said. Perhaps, this is part of what contributes to the situation at general hospitals.

Asked how he has been able to stop patients from taking Ahmadu Isiaku who for several advantage of the fact that years, worked as a doctor they do not force payment, at the Amino Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano State but is

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now into private practice exonerates doctors from any major blame, insisting there is a second side to every coin.

He blames it all on illiteracy and poverty on the part of the patients.

“A patient can cry out that she is being detained for not paying her bills and the hospital ends up looking like a bad place. You must take every case on its own merit, especially as far as neonatal and maternal health is concerned. It is possible that some of these women have defaulted in one way or the other, beyond the inability to

foot their bills. The fact that it happens a lot in public hospitals doesn’t mean the management has clue what they are doing. It is true that it happens, doctors hold patients down but it happens when it comes to pregnancy.

Secondly, in such cases, the way they have structured hospitals now is that before one even gives birth, doctors should know your financial status and your ability to pay.

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Dr. Isiaku emphasized the need for education and enlightenment.

“People should know that it is no longer fashionable just to have children just for the fun of it. If you are unable to foot the bills of child birth even at a public hospital, as subsidized at the rates are, with or without complications, you probably have no business having children in the first place so you do not become a liability.”

Such cases will continue to happen and the hospital Shirley Igbinedion is a cannot be blamed for it journalist with GOVERNMENT because doctors also have Newspaper, Abuja, Nigeria. their own bills too.

The Way Forward The doctor who has his hospital located in the city centre suggested that the government, in running public hospitals must realise that there are people who are indeed very poor and they cannot afford to take treatment and pay so if they treat their emergency and they are ready to be discharged, they should let them go. Or they should make provision for other facilities where they can give free treatment to patients who have been assessed to be really poor.

He also suggested basic insurance for every Nigerian which has been very much touted but proved very difficult to achieve.

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A true tale of beggars: Silent cries in Nigerian markets and street corners (1) Temi Bamgbose February 05, 2015

In almost every major market in the south-west of Nigeria, there is usually a prominent feature: a pack of beggars. Though there are men among them, most of them are very old women with one or more disabilities and young girls, mostly teenagers and sometimes these girls have babies strapped on their backs.

F

or the average Nigerian, beggars are the invisible ones who are considered nuisances and eyesores.

Although they seem to have a symbiotic relationship with beggars, because the belief is that beggars are favoured by the gods and giving them gifts

brings good luck. Therefore, most people who give money to them are not doing it mostly out of altruistic tendencies but to curry favour from gods.

Pastors, Imams and other religious leaders are known to recommend alms giving to their adherents in order to

avert evil or attract good.

Nobody, it seems, cares about these minority in our midst.

Who are they? Where are they from? Do they have homes?

Why have they chosen to become beggars?

Who fathered the children? How

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can they be helped? What is the government doing about this group? Are there laws in the Nigerian constitution protecting them? Is there a historical pattern? Do they even have any rights?

This three-part report, by Temi Bamgbose sought to find out the answers to the questions, The sight is colourful from afar. But the lives of beggars in Sabo, Ibadan is not all that colourful. Approaching the three pavilions, in the shape of an open square, from the Mokola axis, there are three groups of people to be seen.

The middle pavilion shelters mostly males seated in an orderly manner that smacks of hierarchical arrangement.

The pavilion off to the right holds middle aged men and the one off to the left contains the women and their children.

Like the men, some of the women have varying degrees of physical disabilities.

The second group, from the right, under the middle pavilion sits the headsman in a white turban; he is blind and only speaks Hausa and a little Yoruba. There are bundles of used clothes on the ground right in the middle of the pavilions. Big green houseflies fly about the pavilions in swarms, going into different flying formations as if they were a country’s fleet of combat planes on parade.

It was about 12 o’clock in the afternoon and half naked children run around the premises in a care-free manner.

The headsman sits in one of the pavilions, dressed in white robe and turban

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Though many of the people seated under the pavilions have one form of disability or the other, none of them seem to care about the situation. They are more focused on attracting the next cheerful giver, bringing their next bread for the day.

Headquarters

This is Sabo, headquarters of beggars in the Ibadan.

A cursory look around the pavilions explains the presence of the not-sopleasant odour that in turn fuels the aerodynamic calisthenics of the big green houseflies. There is a huge dumpsite behind the pavilions.

To one side of the dumpsite are numerous shacks built with used iron roofing sheets.

It serves as the home of some of the beggars as well as their toilet and bathroom.

Sabo was not our destination when we set out to find out about the plights of destitute in Ibadan, Oyo State, but after talking to several people in Bodija, Beere, Agbowo, Ojoo, Dugbe, Mokola and many other parts of the city and they kept pointing us at Sabo as where they go at night, we decided to visit the place.

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How did they get there?

Some of them were born and bred there. This was evidenced by the hordes of children following us around.

They have not experienced any other life style apart from living as destitutes. Many others became outcasts among their own because of congenital diseases that may have claimed a part of their body from birth. Amongst them are also Internally Displaced People (IDPs) who left their homes with nothing, suddenly becoming wretched overnight because of prevalent violence in their original localities. And there is also a group consisting of people who willingly come to do business in the south west but unfortunately got stuck when the stories that the west is an easy place to make money proved false. There are some who see street begging as a business, deliberately dressing in rags and tattered clothes in order to curry favour from kind-hearted Nigerians. There are also the senior citizens who can no longer fend for themselves, and so resort to begging as they are left without any help.

Lastly, there is a rare group, who are directed to beg on the street for ‘spiritual’ purpose.

These ones do not live in the

shelters and their prominent feature is baby-carrying, usually they are found with twins.

Who are destitute?

An Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI) publication describes Destitute as the poorest of the people classified to be poor.

Meanwhile, poverty itself was classified into “absolute” and “overall” after expert deliberations at the end of the 1995 Copenhagen World Summit on Social Development in where delegates from 117 countries adopted a declaration and programme of action which included commitments to eradicate and reduce respectively the two categories of poverty.

According to the declaration, absolute poverty is a condition characterised by severe deprivation of basic human needs, including food, safe drinking water, sanitation facilities, health, shelter, education and information. It depends not only on income but also on access to services.

On the other hand, overall poverty was described as taking various forms, including lack of income and productive resources to ensure sustainable livelihoods; hunger and

malnutrition; ill health; limited or lack of access to education and other basic services; increased morbidity and mortality from illness; homelessness and inadequate housing; unsafe environments and social discrimination and exclusion.

The declaration further holds that this type of poverty is characterised by lack of participation in decision making and in civil, social and cultural life. It occurs in all countries: as mass poverty in many developing countries, pockets of poverty amid wealth in developed countries, loss of livelihoods as a result of economic recession, sudden poverty as a result of disaster or conflict, the poverty of lowwage workers, and the utter destitution of people who fall outside family support systems, social institutions and safety nets.

Another UN Statement, signed by the heads of all UN agencies in June 1998 says: “Fundamentally, poverty is a denial of choices and opportunities, a violation of human dignity. It means lack of basic capacity to participate effectively in society. It means not having enough to feed and clothe a family, not having a school or clinic to go to; not having the land on which to

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form of livelihood apart from waiting for alms. She is the daughter of the beggars’ community leader in Sabo she is without any visible physical disability but she lives and begs just like the others.

She has two children both in private schools.

Maryam Saleh on the other hand says she is from Gusau in Zamfara State. She came to Ibadan to seek help for her swollen leg. grow one’s food or a job to earn one’s living, not having access to credit. It means insecurity, powerlessness and exclusion of individuals, households and communities.

It means susceptibility to violence, and it often implies living on marginal or fragile environments, without access to clean water or sanitation.

Going by the international definitions, it may be difficult to classify all female beggars in Nigerian markets as destitute but they all have a story behind their plight.

Nana Ibrahim, for example has spent 30years of her life begging, she said she would gladly go back to Katsina, her state if she gets enough money to start work as a commercial food seller, but for now, she is the leader of the women here. When anyone brings

“I came into Ibadan about offerings, she is in charge of three months ago to seek sharing it among the destitute treatment to my leg,” she said pointing to her right leg that is community. obviously swollen.

Whatever was responsible for the swollen leg was not done with Maryam yet, but it has already finished her resources. Now she sleeps in a shop by the roadside every night at Bodija market, in Ibadan, and begs for a living because she no longer has money for the treatment, neither does she have money to go back to Gusau.

Asked what help she needs, Maryam bursts into tears: “I want to go back home to Head of the female destitute, Sabo, Ibadan, Nana Ibrahim Gusau, it is clear now that there is no cure anywhere for my sickness, if I get enough money I will go back, it is better Her companion, another to die at home where my woman in her late 30s, who people will bury me properly would not give her name than to die on the street.” probably, knows no other

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As the sun beats down on Maryam, she said she would have loved to seek shelter because she’s not feeling too well, but the only place she calls home would only be free for her to use from 8 pm, when the stall owner is done and gone home.

down here. But business has not been moving. And when I exhausted all the money I brought from the north, I resorted to begging in order to save up and go back to my village.”

“I was of the opinion that the west is a paradise,” she stated.

“People in our place used to talk about the west, especially Lagos, as if money could be picked from the floor. So I saved up small money to come

“Who would not like it?” they asked. “People are kind, they give you food, they give you money every day and you say we should not like it.”

compassion, fail to see their condition as deserving pity.

Quite a number of them see it as a business venture. [*additional reporting and editing by Ayodele Olofintuade]

But two young girls, Aisha http://flairng.com/a-true-tale-ofand Nehima, 12 and 14 years beggars-silent-cries-in-nigerianMaryam’s narration in Bodija, respectively, interviewed markets-and-street-corners-1/ Ibadan is similar to that of around that same location, Aisha Abdlatifu in Lafenwa, said they like begging on the Abeokuta. street.

It turns out that, some of these destitute that induce pity and

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A true tale of beggars:

Silent cries in Nigerian markets and street corners (2) By:Â Temi Bamgbose February 05, 2015

In the second part of the report, the reporters examined the type of help this category of people require. They observed the organisation among the people, and one of the challenges that may lead to a life of destitution.

Help!

In less than 20 minutes, three different donors have come and gone. A first one was a very tall lady in a black dress well made up. She parked a

Nissan Altima 2010 edition across the street before coming to the pavilion; she distributes crisp N50 notes at the women section of the pavilion without saying a

word as she leaves without looking back. Not long after that, a well-dressed man parked a BMW close to the Men’s pavilion and distributes N200 notes.

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In the space of sixty minutes, five cheerful givers had been to the pavilion at Sabo, distributing gifts ranging from puff-puff to used cloths and money. Most time a donor comes, the beggars, especially the women would raise their voices, displaying each one, her disability in order to curry more favour from the donor. Apart from showing their disabilities, the lead woman would at times stand up and show the donor around to be sure of the segment of people he wants to help.

Nana, mentioned above, had said that they desire their children to go to school but the fees are killing. “I have two children, one in primary three, that one pays N11,000 as school fees and the other one is in nursery two she pays N10,000.”

She claims that most of the other children attend the Ibadan Municipal Government primary school, not far from them, but said that in spite of the fact that their children were not being well taught, the teachers were always demanding for money, and that is the major reason she decided to send her children to a private school.

When told that the teachers and headmistress of the school said that they were always withdrawing their children, halfway through the school term to do amariya (new bride), Nana said that although it is true but Asked what type of help they that does not mean that the would like, since money is teachers should be constantly not a lasting solution to every demanding for money. problem they may be facing, the first thing that comes on She claims this is the list is “abinci” meaning food, the major reason then money, then good clothes.

The organisation among the destitute is amazing.

Some of the women had expressed interest in having a teacher come to the pavilion to teach their children when prodded about the welfare of the children.

why a lot of the children have stopped attending school.

Where do they go?

For many of the destitute, nightfall is nightmare. Like Maryam mentioned earlier, many of them have to wait for shop owners to close for the day before settling down for the night. They also have to leave very early in the morning before the day’s business starts.

In Lagos, bridges and flower hedges still do the job of sheltering this group of people, but as I learnt during the investigation, most

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women are not exposed to the harsh elements, they still get somewhere to go even if it’s someone’s front door.

For the beggars in Abeokuta, there is another Sabo, and that is also where the beggars go at night. Here unlike Ibadan, the destitute say they pay N2, 000 each every month for a sleeping space.

Back at the beggars’ pavilion in Sabo, Ibadan, the Oba, as the lead beggar is referred to, said the people would appreciate any form of help that comes, he mentioned that the Ibadan strong man the late proponent of ‘Amala Politics’ – Lamidi Adedibu, had built a house for them in which most of the disabled beggars live. He was almost going to let us see the house which he claimed to be located within Sabo, when, a doctor who had also been a councillor before arrived.

Racket or genuine interest

Asked how he helps the beggars at Sabo, he claimed that he offers them treatment anytime they fell ill, although he failed to mention whether the treatment was free. It is apparent, from the way the Oba talked to him, that he is well respected amongst the beggars.

During our discussion with him about the health of the children, their education and other issues, we told him about our findings of the high rate of school drop-outs amongst the destitute, we expressed worry about the girls, what happens to them after they drop out of school? The doctor, speaking off record, said instead of the girls to remain in poverty like their parents, when they see suitors and they are of marriageable age, they give them off in marriage.

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the girls were married off at 18years of age, but we noted that there were girls between the ages of nine and twelve, skulking around the pavilions in heavy make-up, we also noted that the older women would not allow us talk to them, they had a welldressed young child whom they dragged out and insisted we talked to. From what she was saying, it was obvious that this six year old girl had been tutored.

The doctor blamed the prevalence of destitution on unemployment, pointing out that there are some of the disabled people there at the pavilions that have certificates but resort to begging when the government is not forth coming with jobs.

Failed promises

Corroborating the words of Nana earlier, he said failed promises are one of the reasons why he was He carefully mentioned that summoned and why he said

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A man is seen distributing money among the beggars

we should stop recording and Nana’s words and the way the taking pictures. doctor listened carefully to Nana had earlier said that everything the people already there was a time they found a told us suggested that there newspaper in which they saw was a measure of control on their pictures with claims that what they are allowed to tell they had been given a large inquirers. sum of money; meanwhile they did not receive anything. She bitterly lamented that several people had approached them for interviews and to take pictures without their consent – consent here we translated as payment.

Political value

One of the indicators of destitution is the lack of a chance to be heard or to make a political choice, a form of disenfranchisement from the

nation’s political decision making like voting and being voted for.

But while still talking with the doctor, we asked if the beggars would not be disenfranchised from the forth coming elections.

To our surprise and with a little smile dancing on his lips, The Doctor assured us that all the beggars have their Permanent voters Cards (PVC) and are ready to exercise their political rights. This dimension suggests that the destitute, despite their

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challenges have political values to politicians.

“I arranged for a senator to come and see them yesterday but he could not make it,” he said. “But I am sure he would come.”

It also suggests that there may be people who may not want a proper rehabilitation for the destitute in order to use them to their advantage politically because of their vulnerability.

Spiritual reasons

clean blue buba and wrapper.

She leans on the fence of UBA bank in the popular Balogun market, Lagos, holding two babies in her arms. She said the babies are both eight months old, they are twins and they are the reason she is here begging for alms.

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sickness will flee forever, she says. Some of the materials include coconut, beans and candles. The rest of the money would be contributed to the furtherance of the place of worship.

The babies’ father does not have a problem with the “It is not as if I can’t feed begging exercise, Anu says, them,” Gandonou said. “But other mothers of twins have they have been falling sick also done the ritual, it is not a constantly and a prophet big deal. said I must beg for alms for [additional reporting and editing by them in the market before the Ayodele Olofintuade] sickness flees completely.”

The money received from the Giving her name first as Iya eight-day begging exercise will Ibeji, Anu Gandonou is from be used to buy materials for Badagry, she is dressed in a offering to appease the spirits of the children and then the

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A true tale of beggars:

Silent cries in Nigerian markets and street corners (3) By: Temi Bamgbose February 05, 2015

The concluding part of the report reveals the folly of a nation without any social security system to prevent its people, most especially the senior citizens, from unforeseen eventualities. It also examines the various attempts to establish a legal framework for the establishment of some forms of protection for the destitute and how it seems all promises in that direction are mere political shtick.

F

ather is dead … father has gone to work… father is there…

Sitting under an umbrella with two children, three and

five years old respectively, beside the bridge at the entrance of Lafenwa market in Abeokuta, Zenabu Ali says she sits there to beg in order

to support the income of her husband, Ali. Zenabu does not speak any English, neither does she speak Abeokuta’s native language, Yoruba. She

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and her husband just moved down from Arewa, she sits at the market entrance to beg so as to provide support to augment the income from her husband’s wood-splitting and sand packing job.

A dark skinned, left-arm, amputee with a baby, had told us at Sabo Ibadan, that the father of her baby had gone to work, not explaining the nature of the ‘work’. Fatima, an out-of-school six-year old girl said her father is in Ibadan, but not in the beggar’s pavilion. Many of the girls also said their fathers were dead.

“A dark skinned, left-arm, amputee with a baby, had told us at Sabo Ibadan, that the father of her baby had gone to work”

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because of the disappearance (due to the death or sudden migration or lost contact) of their caretakers, mainly their children.

Iya Ilese represents this group typically. She appears to be in her early eighties, she appears very smallish, if not for the wrinkled skin and obviously sagging cheeks which betrays the loss of every tooth in her The group of beggars that buccal cavity, she might have can move a grown man to been mistaken for a primary tears when he sits alone school child. and empathise is the one comprising of senior citizens, She walks to motor parks and with or without disability, who party venues in Ijebu Ode, have been forced into begging Ogun State every day to beg

Children are gone… they no longer come home

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for a living. UnfortunatelyIya Ilese may continue that way until she grows fatally tired and falls by the way side to beg no more, because of the fast growing anomic lifestyle in the Nigerian communities.

Iya Ilese

Iya Ilese represents a group of beggars comprising of senior citizens, with or without disability, who have been forced into begging because of the disappearance of their caretakers Her case is in the best position to question the

non-existent social security system in the country. The old woman and many like her are common sights at motor parks. She — and the hordes of others — would not have been subjected to this humiliating plight if the country had any serious social security plan for its senior citizens.

to implement the policy by all means. Sadly it is five year now, after the policy’s first mention and it has remained unimplemented.

former president, Dr. Yakubu Gowon; and four months later, on 27th August the same year, the National Working Committee on Social Security Policy presented its report to then President Umaru Musa Yar-Adua, urging him

A few days after Obende’s bill tripped, Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, announced at a press briefing that the government was planning a Social Safety Net which would be specifically targeted at providing financial

Since then, at least three other bills with the same purpose have been sponsored on the floor of the Senate: one in May 2009 by Ebonyi South Senatorial District Senator, Social security is the Anyim Ude; and a second monetary assistance from the three years later in 2012 by government for people with Oluremi Tinubu. inadequate/no income or the There was a bit of noise provision for such ones and making about implementing others who are disadvantaged the scheme towards the last by injury or old age sourced quarter of year 2014. Edo from contributions from North Senatorial District, workers and their employers. representative in the National In developed countries of Assembly, Senator Domingo the world, the Social security Obende raised the hope of is given utmost priority Nigerians in October 2014 especially to provide for the by sponsoring a bill, tagged, elderly and save them the an Act to Provide for the humiliation and hazards that Establishment of the National result from street begging.

Social Welfare Commission.

The Federal Government But the hope was smashed inaugurated a committee when the bill could not scale in April 2009 to devise how the third reading, senators social security can be used not being able to determine to halt mass poverty in the a source of funding for takecountry. Several deliberations off of the overseeing agency. were led by the country’s Shame.

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backup to the rural poor so that they could send their children to school and access primary health care, amongst others benefits. The minister had mentioned that scheme

had been experimented in Kano State to see how useful it would be in sending the girl-child to school and it had been found to have significant positive effect.

Three months down the line, in an election year, with no guarantee that the government composition would stay the same, and no implementation has been seen.

Who cares?

the state government is still under construction in Orogbe Village, away in the outskirts of the state capital in the Moshood Abiola Polytechnic axis. For now, however, what the department does is to liaise with community leaders of migrant communities, most especially, to help keep their people from the streets.

As stipulated in the constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria, it is one of the primary functions of the local governments to see to the plights of these people.

Apart from that, there is also a Ministry of Women Affairs And Social Welfare in Ogun State, there is a department for rehabilitation only that, the facility for rehabilitation, a 2.2 acre land donated by

The Director of the rehabilitation department in Abeokuta, in a casual “off record” chat had lamented that the bane of their work in rehabilitating the street beggars is that after giving medical attention to the ones requiring such, their families and guardians refuse to take them back, a form of social stigma that eventually leads the subjects back to a life of destitution on the streets.

Although vehemently denied by the federal government, World Bank statistics and the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) hold that there are about 100million destitute in Nigeria. The question raised by this realisation is that who cares about this people even if they are just a handful?

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In Ibadan, Hassan Hammed pointed out that the government built a place for the beggars outside the city limits but claims that all the beggars taken there for rehabilitation always end up dead, and that was the reason why they no longer seek government intervention.

Apart from the destitute protection bill there is no other form of legislation that concerns this people.

Conclusion

The plight of the destitute in Nigeria is sad, but sadder still is the plight of the female destitute, because in the scheme of things, she’s the lowest of the low. Her children are mere fodders for manipulation and a cycle has been established that ensures that they do not escape their ‘destinies’.

This is made worse by the nonchalant attitude of the government towards this minority. The only time attention is paid to them is during election periods when they are needed to boost the number of people voting them into power.

Leaving these people after interviewing them was a heart wrenching experience, because we would be contributing to the long

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trail of heartbreaks and disappointments, we would be seen as just another bunch of reporters out to use them to gain fame and make money.

One of their pleas is that they need homes to rest their heads; they need schools for their children. In fact they informed us that they have available land where a school can be established for these children. All they need are volunteers that will come in maybe once or twice weekly to teach reading, writing and arithmetic.

home and all of them are privately owned. Thus More old people’s homes, where senior citizens could be housed and taken proper care of in case they lose their caretakers to unforeseen circumstances should also be established. By all means, establishing efficient social security infrastructure should be given priority by the country’s lawmakers.

We are using this medium to appeal to the government and the good hearted people in governance not to only In the whole of Nigeria, there look into ways of helping is barely up to 20 old people’s this vulnerable segment of our society, whose numbers

seems to be on the increase, but to establish institutions and laws protecting them.

[Additional reporting and editing by Ayodele Olofintuade] –This report was accomplished with the support of the Wole Soyinka Centre For Investigative Journalism and the Embassy of The Netherlands

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How Nigerian Government ruins midwives scheme, fails to fight maternal deaths Nnenna Ibeh April 27, 2015

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“The last payment we received in January. “We were paid hen 27-year- was August salary,” Ms. our August 2014 salary in old Emmanuella Okoli told PREMIUM TIMES September 2014. They paid Okoli graduated from Midwifery College, and landed a job with a Nigerian government health agency three years ago, her top concern was the pay.

She had grown tired feeding off her mother who sent in cash and food regularly.

But 14 months with the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, a Nigerian government department in charge of emergency maternal health scheme, the salaries suddenly stopped coming – two months first, later six months at a stretch.

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us June, July in the first week of September and then paid August towards the end of September.”

Yet, Nigeria’s drive to reduce that number has been hampered by several factors, among them a failure by On days she could not borrow authorities to pay health her transport bill to the office, workers, provide quality work Ms. Okoli trekked over four conditions, accommodation kilometres to get there. “Most for staffers, basic amenities times, I live on the money such as electricity or water.

I borrow from people here in Delta and some of my Ms. Okoli and thousands of colleagues whose parents her colleagues are victims of can afford to send money to such failure. them,” she said.

Ms. Okoli was drafted in as part of an emergency team to help roll back Nigeria’s notorious maternal death record, to meet the globally-adopted Millennium Development Goals, MDG, whose key targets is reducing pregnancy and childbirth-related deaths by 75 per cent by 2015.

A 2014 World Health Organisation report said Nigeria lost about 40, 000 women during childbirth in 2013, second only to India.

The risk of a woman dying as a result of pregnancy or childbirth in Nigeria is about one in 15, as opposed to one in 5,000 in developed nations, Chris Akani, the Provost, College of Health Sciences, University of Port Harcourt, said in January.

Chinwe Opara, 29, who serves as a midwife in Ogun State, told PREMIUM TIMES that despite her job, she is still supported by her mother who also sends in money.

“My parents worked so hard, trained me in school for three years with all hope that A mother weighing her baby with the I’ll take care of them but this help of a midwife is what they get in return,” Ms. in rural communities for a Opara lamented recently. one-year community service.

The service is mandatory for the new graduates as a prerequisite for licensing to practice in Nigeria.

The NPHCDA’s Midwives Between 2013 and 2015, the Service Scheme employs over programme received N1.5 7, 000 midwives. The scheme billion, according to federal was implemented in 2009 budget office. as a MDG-backed project that recruits new graduates Under the terms of conditions from Schools of Midwifery, of their employment, Ms. Okoli unemployed midwives and and her colleagues are to be retired but able midwives for paid N20, 000 monthly, to deployment to health facilities be augmented by allowances

The MSS programme

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from the state and local to show willingness to conduct government area to which outreach and home deliveries they are deployed. and denounce any other They were given one year appointment or formal training contracts, renewable on during the one-year period.

satisfactory performance and But many states and local readiness to reside in the government have for months community of deployment. and years refused to fulfil their The midwives are also expected commitments.

In Kiyawa Local Government Area, Jigawa state, a midwife identified only as Mariam, said she was yet to receive her September allowance.

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when they approached the FCT authorities, they were promised their money “in less than no time”.

The story is the same in almost every other state. With the NPHCDA refusing to pay salaries, the midwives cannot rely on the states or local governments as stipulated in their employment letters.

Women waiting to be attended to at a Primary Healthcare centre

“We were paid our August salary in September, so that of September, October, November and December is what we are begging for them to pay us,” Mariam told Besides payments, midwives PREMIUM TIMES in January. say the government has While the Jigawa State done very little to ensure the government has regularly paid success of the programme. its N30, 000 monthly allowance They complain about the lack to the midwives and N20, 000 of basic amenities such as for the Community Extension electricity, accommodations, Health Workers under the and water at their health same service scheme, Kiyawa centres.

Local Government Area has Ms. Okoli said initially they never paid a kobo. were given one or two Midwives in Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory said the last time they received their LGA allowance was in the first week of January and that was for July, 2014.

A nursing mother

The FCT midwives told PREMIUM TIMES that since 2009 when the scheme was launched, the FCT has never paid any allowance to them. They said

trainings, but not anymore.

She said attempts to reach her focal person to find out why trainings were cancelled were fruitless.

A visit to some facilities in the FCT revealed that Primary Health Centres in Bwari, Gwagwalada and Abaji do not have access to water or even boreholes. The midwives said

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Missed opportunities

the absence of potable water put them and their work at risk, especially as they handle new-borns.

basic midwifery holder – with the three years basic training for midwives – once you are out, you will be absorbed into The management of the the system, that’s job security. midwife scheme is so poorly coordinated that offers for vital trainings are often not taken advantage of.

The Vice President, National “Day in day out Association of Nigerian In August 2013, during these people get Nurses and Midwives, the launch of Voluntary better jobs and Margaret Akinsola, told Obstetricians Scheme, the PREMIUM TIMES that issues leave the country, Society for Gynaecology and surrounding allowance of the Obstetrics of Nigeria promised these people are young midwives have become to mentor midwives on the a thing of great concern for not being treated MSS through a memorandum the association. understanding with the well. Because if we of NPHCDA. “Of course, we are aware and

Of great concern

we are working on making sure they get their remuneration as at when due and also cancel this issue of dividing it by three different fractions – whereby part is to be paid by the federal government, another by the state government while the other is paid by the local government. We want to put a stop to that,” Ms. Akinsola said.

She said aside the allowances, the association was working on ensuring that there was definite channels through which the midwives can get their remuneration.

She urged the government to act to discourage qualified midwives leaving the country in frustration.

are meeting the needs by 97 per cent in training these midwives then where are they? Are outside the country? Are most of them retired? Are we really absorbing them as we should?” she asked.

She said the association provided quality training for the 5, 000 to 7, 000 midwives under the MSS in 2013, and is now pushing to ensure “In those days, immediately midwifery science is made a you finish from the School course in Nigerian universities of midwifery, even if you are before 2020.

Speaking to PREMIUM TIMES, the president of the society, Brian Adinma, said although the VOS has commenced, it was yet to be rolled out to the states due to delay by the NPHCDA to endorse guideline developed for the scheme.

Mr. Adinma, a professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, said the endorsement would enable SOGON disseminate the VOS to members in all sectors.

“But, we are having some bottlenecks from the National Primary Health Care Development Agency – you know they are having some monetary problem there – so the decision I have just taken is to take on the guidelines and move in ourselves. You know it is their facilities we are supposed to make use of

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under the MSS,” Mr. Adinma SOGON, through the VOS, said. will have to re-strategize to He said although the incorporate the scheme’s agency was yet to endorse guidelines into the states at the guidelines for roll out, least before early February.

Mr. Adinma also thinks the agency is lukewarm about the VOS due to its inability to pay its midwives.

“Salary is a fundamental right of anybody who is working, if somebody is not paid salary what anybody can do is, appeal or taking any other measure towards making the people to pay. But I believe, if inspite of the salaries not paid they are working, they should allow us come in, when we do, and then we can make our very strong recommendations,” he said.

NPHCDA’s and states’ defence

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of implementation, the states would take ownership of the scheme while the agency supports with monitoring and retraining, among others.

He said the agency was also discussing with the states to ensure the midwives are absorbed and other needs taken care of, where possible.

“60 per cent of the challenges – water, power – of the health sector is outside the control of the sector, however, health sector is collaborating with the states and local government areas to make that happen,” he said.

we were paying them immediately we pay our staff.

They are not the only people we pay, we have corper doctors and pharmacists; we pay N2 million every month On midwives leaving the as allowance,” Mr. Makka country for better jobs, Mr. said.

Muhammad said, “These He also said a committee are exceptional cases but had been set up to look however, the agency will into the councils’ financial continue its advocacy to the issues in order to seek ways states to absorb and retain of ameliorating the plight of the midwives in the country.” staff.

The agency’s boss said the

The Executive Secretary, FCT Primary Health Care Board, Rilwanu Mohammed, in a text The Head, Monitoring and message to PREMIUM TIMES, Evaluation, Bwari Area claimed he knew nothing council, FCT, Yakubu Makka about the owed benefits. told PREMIUM TIMES they had revenue shortfalls, and The Executive Director of that once that was sorted NPHCDA, Ado Muhammad, the noncompliance they (midwives) would be said of the states to the signed paid. agreement was a major issue “Ask them, have the states in the delay of the midwives paid them? When we did not allowances. He said it was have this financial problem, expected that after two years

midwives would also be deployed to locations where they are needed and where adequate incentives with update allowances will be made available.

“The midwives are adding value to the health sectors.

Because we expect that as we pay their allowance from the centre, the state will also complement by paying or providing accommodation.

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But what we’ve realized is that some states are meeting their obligation while others are not,” he said.

2012 when it became evident that the MSS had helped in reducing maternal and newborn deaths especially in rural Like her colleagues who are communities of the North leaving Nigeria for better East. midwifery jobs abroad, Ms. “The MSS has been on ground Okoli said she would not for so many years before the hesitate to jump at any commencement of SURE-P opportunity she gets to leave MCH, and SURE-P midwives Nigeria for the US or the UK. are paid regularly and up to date, there is always trainings organized for them at one point or the other and they Comparing NPHCDA’s scheme are also provided with all they to the Subsidy Reinvestment need to work. On the other and Empowerment hand, we the MSS who have Programme (SURE-P) been on ground since are midwives programme, Ms. totally being neglected,” Ms. Okoli said the MSS midwives Okoli said. are receiving a worse Two midwives under the treatment.

SURE –P scheme in Dutse The SURE-P Maternal and Child Alhaji Primary Health Centre, Health Programme (SURE-P Bwari Area Council, FCT, MCH) was implemented in confirmed Ms. Okoli’s claims.

The case for SURE-P

The midwives, who spoke under anonymity said they have been paid their salaries till date.

In contrast their counterparts in Duste Markaranta Primary Health Centre, under the MSS scheme, are yet to receive their allowances.

This story was completed with support from the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Reporting.

Some names were changed to protect the sources from victimisation www.premiumtimesng.com/news/ headlines/182131-how-nigerian-govtruins-midwives-scheme-fails-to-fightmaternal-deaths.html

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Nigerian Government promises to pay midwives owed for 8 months Nnenna Ibeh April 29, 2015

Midwives and nurses

The parties said the allowances were owed by the agency due to the delayed passage of the national budget and agreed The Nigerian government has that, “The allowances will be promised to clear an eight- paid upon budgetary release month arrears owed midwives within May, 2015”. employed under the Midwives The MSS was established Service scheme. in 2009 and is managed by The payment will be made the National Primary Health

by May, according to a com- Care Development Agency munique signed by the Ex- to address the high rate of ecutive Director, National maternal and child mortality Primary Healthcare Develop- in Nigeria. ment Agency, Ado Muhammad, the National President, MSS, Grace Shamonda, and the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Linus Awute.

2013, second only to India.

The parties also agreed that the federal ministry of health will prevail on state and local governments to offset all outstanding allowances and discharge all other obligations – good accommodations, good working environment among others – as stated in the memorandum of understanding signed by all parties in 2009.

This, they said, will be done through the National Economic Council.

A 2014 World Health Organisation report said Nigeria lost about 40, 000 Mr. Alhassan, in his plea, women during childbirth in urged the midwives not to

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embark on a protest as earlier planned but rather continue to render their services in the 1, 000 MSS facilities in Nigeria.

paid jobs within and outside conditions have failed to do the country. so.

Most of the midwives said they live of money borrowed from friends and members of communities they are deployed to while some receive food supplies and other needs from their parents.

The midwives, about 7, 000 of them, had planned to embark on a protest in demand of their allowances which was last paid by the NPHCDA in September, 2014 for August 2014.

This newspaper’s report PREMIUM TIMES had reported also highlighted how states how some of the midwives, and local governments who owed for eight months, opted signed MOU to make available out of the scheme for better allowances and good working

For example, the Bwari Area council in justification of the delay in its allowance for the midwives, said the area council was not alone as states and the Federal Capital Territory have also failed in their obligation. www.premiumtimesng.com/ news/182252-nigerian-govt-promises-topay-midwives-owed-for-8-months.html

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How Nigerian Universities encourage sexual harassment of female students Nicholas Ibekwe March 21, 2015

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hen Blessing, a 300-level undergraduate f e m a l e student of the Sociology Department, University of Lagos, approached one of her lecturers for extra tutorial on a problematic module, she did not bargain to be the object of the lecturer’s sexual fancy.

“He didn’t even bother to explain the topic to me.

Maybe he thought I was flirting with him but I’m sure I did not leave that impression,” said Blessing, who refused to allow the use of her actual names.

said she initially responded out of respect but I stopped answering the lecturer’s phone calls the day he tried to touch her breast in public.

She completely avoided him after the man asked her to meet him at a guesthouse in Palmgroove, in Lagos.

I would have scored at least 60 (B) from what I wrote but he decided to punish me by scoring me 45.”

Blessing seemed lucky as thousands of mostly female university students in Nigeria have faced even worse situations at the hands of philandering lecturers, other That was when all hell broke university staff and even loose, she told PREMIUM fellow students, anti-sexual TIMES in a recent interview. harassment campaigners say.

Blessing claimed she was Some lecturers have failed deliberately picked on and students repeatedly until embarrassed in class, and they yielded to their sexual at the end of the semester, demands.

Students who despite her best effort, she would not compromise have was scored D by the lecturer. been harassed out of school.

Soon, the lecturer started “Because of what happened, Well-known assailants have inviting her to beer parlours I tried my best and I’m sure raped others with little attempt outside the campus. Blessing by university authorities to

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apprehend the attackers.

Joy Ezeilo, the Executive Director of Women’s Aid Collective and a lecturer at the University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus, told PREMIUM TIMES the story of a female student who was chased into a classroom in a university and snatched away in the full glare of everyone to be raped by her assailants. No one raised a finger to protect her.

She also narrated the story of a lecturer who was nicknamed “Kiss-me-and-pass” because he often asked female students to kiss him if they wanted better grades.

Despite the prevalence of sexual harassment and sexual assaults in Nigerian universities, PREMIUM TIMES investigation, which involved talking to students from at least eight universities, administrators, lecturers, members of university academic union from across Nigeria, revealed a near total neglect of the issue and lack of will to even discuss it.

fire lecturers for sexually harassing female students.

Universities, including privately owned institutions, have also unilaterally rejected calls by campaigners and human rights activists to implement sexual harassment policies as a means of tackling the problem.

Almost all the students who spoke to PREMIUM TIMES claimed that they have either been sexually harassed or know another student who had been harassed by a lecturer or other university staff.

In many cases, lecturers and other employees who were indicted were merely told to go and sin no more. Apart from few cases involving wellconnected students, hardly do Nigerian universities Many of them confessed that they were neither aware of where to go nor whom to approach when lecturers or male students harassed them. All of them expressed a lack of faith in the ability or willingness of their university management to provide justice in cases of sexual harassment and sexual assault. Almost all the students who claimed to have been sexually harassed said they feared being victimised if they reported.

“I did not report because nothing would come out it.

Also, there will be further problems for me, maybe from other lecturers who are also doing that. Then, my boyfriend said I should not report. As I

A female Nigerian Student.

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didn’t agree to sleep with the now,” said Hamzat Kaothar, a students said they were not man, he failed me and I am third year Banking student of told anything specifically still carrying the course till the University of Abuja. about sexual harassment, the institution however has an emergency helpline (012902989) which students “I don’t have confidence in the school can call if they got into any system, not to talk of the department. And form of trouble. The number, however, was not functional that’s it if you ask anybody. Lecturers go during the investigation for this story.

unpunished after abusing students and

refusal even leads to failure. But I think the new Vice Chancellor is bringing discipline to the school.”

Another victim of sexual harassment, Chinelo Emenike, a Business Administration student at the Imo State University, said she reported the attack to her Head of Department who “did not even think it was a big deal”.

Except for the University of Port Harcourt, sexual harassment, references to sexual exploitation of students or how they might seek redress was not mentioned in any of the sampled institutions’ handbook, universities’ primary source of information, guidelines and policies.

Even UNIPORT merely glossed over the matter.

Page 1 of one of the

All the students who spoke to us also said sexual harassment was not mentioned during orientation.

Blessing Eshaleku, a Linguistics student at the University of Jos, said students were only told to avoid dressing in manners that make them susceptible to harassment from lecturers and other male students.

university’s handbook under the title: Professional Ethics Committee Code of Conduct for Staff and Students, lecturers were advised ’’not victimize students for sex, ethnic, religious or personal The Student Affairs reasons.’’ departments of all the In the same vein students were universities in this survey warned “not offer money, refused to respond to our sex or other enticement in requests for information exchange for higher grade or about how sexual alteration/forgery of record/ harassment is handled and documents.” measures put in place to Nothing was said about the deter lecturers from leeching punishment to be meted out on female students. They on defaulting lecturers and also could not provide data how students could possibly on the number of complaints get justice if harassed by they received from students and how many lecturers have staff of the university. been sanctioned in the past Though the University of for sexual related offences.

Lagos students’ handbook did not say anything about A senior employee of the sexual harassment and Student Affairs department

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of the University of Abuja, who pleaded not to be mentioned because he did not obtain the Vice Chancellor’s approval to talk to the press, confessed that though things are beginning to change, there are no strong mechanisms in place to address the problem. He also blamed students for not coming forward to report lecturers and admitted that this could be for a lack of confidence in the university to provide justice.

Similarly, the Academic Staff Union of Universities has done nothing to rein its members in.

The union has no mechanism in place to tackle the issue and penalise erring members.

best practises are always before she can graduate. adhered to during all our activities. It is only a matter of As she suspected, moral suasion we are having for now,” he said.

Mr. Raphael said

she must sleep Taking Law into with him before their hands he can pass her.

She arranged for The lack of willingness of universities to vigorously him to come to tackle sexual harassment and her apartment and other forms of sexual assaults played along until such as sex-for-marks coupled with a lack of faith Mr. Raphael took in the system to impartially dispense justice, have seen off his clothes then some students resort to other students taking the law into their who had been hands. Some lecturers have waiting for her been set up, stripped, beaten and humiliated by students signal barged in desperate for revenge. and began taking pictures and videos In 2013, a video of Ifeanyi Raof the lecturer, phael, a lecturer at the Delta State University, went viral on which were social media. He was caught with his pants down, literally, shared all over the with a female student who internet.

The Chairman of the Lagos State University (LASU) chapter of ASUU, Adekunle Idris, said though the National Executive Council of ASUU is now planning to push the matter to the front burner, he admitted that all the union has been doing was to merely appeal to lecturers to desist had rebuffed earlier advances from the act. from him.

“The truth of the matter is for The student claimed Mr. Ranow we don’t have specific phael failed her when she was guidance in respect to in her second year after she sanctions. What we are doing turned down his demands for is to continually sensitise sex. The student who was then our members in terms of in her final year approached seminars in terms of talking the lecturer on how she was to one another during our going to pass the examination congresses to ensure that since she needed to pass it

There are other instances of students resorting to self-help methods like this and in most cases; the universities try to save face by punishing the students and the lecturers involved.

A majority of the students who spoke to PREMIUM TIMES said

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they support students who at the same time unmindful took the law into their hands. of hostile environment that makes learning difficult and/ “Very well, I support it really. or results in high rate of Lecturers that abuse students female drop-outs.” should be punished by students maybe that will let them Mrs Ezeilo, said despite stop. And also since the school the initial interest shown can’t do anything about it, stu- by the Nigerian University dents have to fight for them- Commission and the National Human Rights Commission selves,” said Ms. Kaothar. towards a draft policy on sexual harassment for university she composed, Universities rebuffed appeal for them to adopt the policy as a mechanism for checking sexual harassment.

A reflection of societal decadence

Mrs. Ezeilo, who has led campaigns against sexual harassment in institutions of tertiary learning, said the lackadaisical handling of the issue by universities is a reflection of the way women are perceived in the society.

“The societal attitude and practice is to stereotype women as sex objects- for men’s pleasure. The social abuse thousands of Nigerian women experience daily on the streets, in the market place, schools and workplaces can at best be described as sexual harassment.”

She said sexual harassment was detrimental to the education of the girl child.

“The society cannot be promoting girl’s education and

“Unfortunately, the universities were less than keen to take it to the next level.

So to that extent we didn’t get the cooperation we wanted from universities and since 2010 to date nothing has changed in terms of policy environment to protect women/

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female students and indeed anyone (including male students) from unwanted and unwelcome demand for sexual favours by lecturers who are supposedly in fiduciary relationship with them.

The Chairman of the NHRC, Chidi Odinkalu, said the increase of sexual harassment and the attendant impunity around it mirror the general rot of university system.

“The failure can be addressed through better governance of our universities and the recalibration of the incentive mechanisms of our universities. There are major governance failures in the way we manage our universities. Many lecturers are not subjected to any form of oversight or certification that they should go through.

“The promotion mechanism these days favours who you know or federal character rather than your output as

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a lecturer. And lecturers go through the universities not having written one and the half reviewed articles and think they can get away with it.

Until we create a merit based university system, which is what universities are really supposed to be we are going to have problems,” he said.

He however advised those who have been harassed to press charges and not allow societal pressures or fear of victimisation intimidate them from forging ahead force with charges.

“This may not be fashionable but sexual harassment in universities is a two-way thing. Many lecturers prey on student but some students also do prey on lecturers.

And I think it’s necessary to acknowledge this. As I said, it’s not fashionable. I’m not going to win a lot of brownie points for saying this,” he said.

All effort to talk to the NUC proved abortive. The commission did not reply email sent to them. The NUC has nine contact phone numbers on its website, only two of them appear to be functional. However, several calls to the two numbers were not answered neither were Mr. Idris said one thing several they returned. universities are doing is to discourage female students from dressing provocatively.

On what his organisation is doing to help stem menace, Mr. Odinkalu said it would be hypocritical for him to preach to A double-edged universities when sword While sexual harassment the NHRC does not in universities is mostly viewed from the angle of have a policy on philandering lecturers sexual harassment male running after female students, of its own yet. little is often spoken about “My personal issue has always been this: I’m not particularly confident with going to universities and preaching to them about sexual harassment if the National Human Rights Commission itself does not have the policy framework on sexual harassment.”

have volunteered to even pay for a room in a guesthouse.”

Mr. Odinkalu, himself a former lecturer, admitted female students were increasingly harassing their lecturers.

“The female also sexually harass us in the classroom.

You’re teaching or conducting exam and when you look up all the breasts you have in the lecture hall are all exposed to you. You are invigilating and as you’re moving around female students deliberately half of all the buttocks are all seducing male lecturers, exposed to you by all the bare mainly for better grades. bottom trousers they are A lecturer at LASU who spoke wearing,” he said. on condition of anonymity www.premiumtimesng/news/178879how-nigerian-universities-encouragesaid some female students sexual-harassment-of-female-students. offer themselves to lecturers. html “If people know what we go through; the number of times lecturers send female students out of their offices.

I know cases of students who

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Randy teacher impregnates high school student in Abuja

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Favour Egbuta May 13, 2015

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male teacher, formerly with Federal Government Girl’s College in Bwarri, Abuja has reportedly impregnated a 17-year-old female student of the school. The teacher, whose name was simply given as Ibemere G and was said to have been consistently having carnal knowledge of the minor identified as Deborah Edeh until she got pregnant.

Investigations by the Mail Express revealed that Deborah, who was expelled from the school after getting pregnant, was an orphan. She was further described by her House Mistress and fellow students as introverted and could have been taken advantage of by the teacher.

According to the House Mistress, Mrs. Mamma, ‘the girl was not a lousy type’. She said: “She’s a quiet type, maybe he

just took advantage of her. You know, children that are on the reserved side, they hardly open up. Because we are mothers, we know what it means for a child to have this type of problem.

“She has been suffering; she did not open up to anybody.

And you know sometimes, it’s even difficult for you to see pregnancy when it has not really come out. Somebody may, I don’t know, until when pregnancy is advanced. I know that for some people that are busty too, it make not come out like that.“Nobody will wish to see her suffering or to be in that type of situation. I think the principal on her own part, immediately took a action by informing the Federal Ministry of Education about the case. The man left before we now discovered that this was what happened with the girl.

“The girl is not wayward in the school, she’s a quiet type anyway, she’s an introvert. So, even when this news got to us, we were like, why should it be her? because, she’s not the, ‘notice me’ type. What the girl told us was that, the teacher told her to come and collect script from his house.The Vice Principal of the school, who gave his name simply as Mr. Adeola said that the Federal Ministry of Education was handling the case.

He said: “Already, we have reported the case to the Federal Ministry. We’re doing our job and the Ministry will also apply their own disciplinary measure to tackle the case and get him committed to taking care of the pregnancy. “The pregnancy was discovered by a female teacher who noticed that the girl was not tucking in her shirt tails. So she asked her to tuck in and the girl was reluctant to

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do so. She then took her to the Even at home the guardians the ministry is your employer school health clinic and they did not know. I learnt she is an and they will now handle it. The ministry is handling it. discovered she was pregnant. orphan.

“What caused his transfer to the Ministry was that, he was involved in some other issues “We decided she would not write her SS3 relating to the female students. exams because when you put a pregnant And when that got to the principal, she said she cannot conwoman among other students, you’re done such acts in the school.

“When you’re teaching in a fesending a wrong signal to other students, male school, you need to be they might no longer count it as anything watched, the guidelines are to follow”, he said. serious to have about 10-15 of them getting there Some of Deborah’s school pregnant. “To serve as a deterrent, the onus mates expressed sadness over the incident saying that, the girl now lies on the family of the girl and the was a descent student who always goes to church and does man to reach an agreement so that after not joke with her studies. However, efforts by the Mail Exchild birth, she can still go further in her press to talk to the girl or her education. guardians proved abortive as the school declined to volunHe bluntly affirmed that the and that whatever they decide teer give the necessary as at school would never take her they would get back to us but the time of filing this report.

Also, our correspondent was back to continue her educa- they never came back. tion there because, according “Now that we have even made restricted from talking to the to him, ‘It’s only one chance for it official, the man will definitely students in respect to this inevery student, except if one is lose his job. He was transferred vestigation. The Federal Minrepeating due to poor academ- from here to the Federal Minis- istry of Education also did not ic performance’. When asked try of Education before it was provide the needed details about the address of the girl noticed that he had impregnat- of the student. The case has been brought to the notice of he said that all her details had ed the girl. been sent to the Federal Minis- “We have investigated the case the International Federation try of Education. and found it to be true. When of Women Lawyers (FIDA) and “We sent for the guardians of the teacher was invited to the other Non Governmental Orthe girl, who came and said school, he accepted that he ganisations who are currently they were going to look into it was the one who impregnated looking into it. themselves because they didn’t want it to go public. That’s my own impression of it all anyway. They said they would meet their family members

the girl.

“You know in civil service, if something happens like that, you have to immediately report to the ministry because,

http://www.mailexpressonline.com/47%of-nigerian-women-are-mothers-beforethey-age-20/

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High rate of rape incidents in Port Harcourt suburbs Feb 11 -17 , 2015

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Nsikan Sunday Edak ort Harcourt the Rivers State Capital is a highly populated city of the oil- rich state in Niger Delta, SouthSouth, Nigeria.

As an industrial city of the ‘’Treasure base of the Nation�, with great economic potentials, the population level continues in an upward surge, causing grave impact and pressure on the available infrastructure and facilities, including housing and the other social amenities and services.

The palpable struggle for means of livelihood/ survival and space (accommodation) by residents and potential dwellers has regrettably resulted in the high and unaffordable house rent demanded by shylock landlords and property vendors in the city, thereby forcing most accommodation seekers and urban dwellers to relocate to or prefer to live at the less expensive suburbs and surrounding rural communities.

The movement of mostly these low income earners and unemployed residents and their families as well as their cohabitation in these suburb and adjourning communities have come with its own challenges. Most of these challenges include rampant rape cases and abuse of the girl child.

Over the years, there have been frequent cases of rape and abuse of the girl child, high dose of which occur in these suburbs including the waterfronts and densely cohabited areas with shanties and other surrounding communities, on development believed to be encouraged by the poverty state of the people, indecent

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lifestyle and unbefitting nature of their accommodation and the environment in which they live, ignorance, and lack of education of the people, falling standard of values and social education in the society and failure of Government agencies and relevant institution to provide social security including employment and unemployment (skill) as well as physical security to the citizenry.

There are also obvious cases of compromise in the execution and application of legal instruments against indulgence in such morally and globally condemnable acts by the security agencies, particularly the police and the social Welfare (service) institutions and other relevant state apparatus. It cannot be over emphasized that some individuals who cannot afford paying for houses in well developed areas find themselves in shanty areas of water-sides where cases of rape are on the high side.

was less expensive compared to other parts of the city. It is an area where one room apartment could be occupied by an average of family members and friends.

often. In most instances, these female hawkers are called by some men who pretend they want to buy items being hawked, only to forcefully take advantage of them. There are Parents and guardians in a also cases where children also normal circumstance owe face this same abuse by some their children and wards that irresponsible fathers, uncles, responsibility to care for, and brothers and maid guards. be very courteous of who plays According to section 357 of around with them, the company the Criminal Code Act of 2004 they keep, and who stays with “Any person who has unlawful them when not at home, Diobu carnal knowledge of a woman situation needs extra efforts, of or girl without her consent, or care and attention by parents with her consent if the consent and guardian, because of is obtained by force or by the vulnerability and obvious means of threat or intimidation threat in the case of rape and of any kind or by fear of harm, defilements of girl child. or by means of false and There have been several report fraudulent representation as of cases where children less to the nature of the act, or in than 12 years and below are the case of a married woman being cajoled or forced into a by personating her husband, room or tight secluded corners is guilty of an offence which is only to be raped. Female called rape�.

The rate at which rape incidents occur in and within the suburb of Port Harcourt, especially in Diobu area is actually of great concern. Diobu is a business and residential area in Port Harcourt with large population of artisans, students, unemployed and low children hawking in the street The law also outlined some income earners. It used to be are also victim of this tragic and indices to measure the act of a place where accommodation traumatic experiences most rape as follows:

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1) That a man, the accused without canning. had sexual intercourse with a As clearly defined by the law, woman, the victim. there have been propellant 2) That the act of cases of rape and related intercourse was unlawful not actions in and around the being between husband and suburbs of Port Harcourt. wife.

Cases such as fathers raping 3) That in giving the evidence their children for ill-conceived reason of intercourse complete and inexplicable best known to them, cases penetration is proved. where full grown adults trap 4) That the accused had teenagers into their room the required men rea; that is, through fake promises only to intention to have intercourse take advantage of them, some with a woman without her through threat and injection of consent or that the accused fear. acted recklessly not caring whether the woman consented For instance, early this year, precisely on the 12th of January, or not. a case of one Mr. Opuwari 5) Also, the prosecution Goodhead of Urualla in Diobu must adduce evidence to area of Port Harcourt who corroborate the complaint allegedly raped his 18 year old made by the victim and daughter, name withheld, was although this is not required as reported to the Mile one police a matter of law, it is in practice. Station, Diobu, Port Harcourt.

The law also state it clearly that the essential and most important ingredient of the offence of rape is penetration, without which the prosecution is considered failed, even though there is a proof of injury or rupture of the hymen as in the case of a virgin.

Section 358 of the same criminal Act of 2004 similarly provided some punishment for the offence of rape that: “Any person who commits the offence of rape is liable to imprisonment for live with or

An inspector of Police, who prefers anonymity, said they (the police) were called by the security chairman in charge of the area to arrest the suspect.

The neighbours who witnessed the incidents said they heard noise of someone struggling and being dragged as usual in Mr Goodhead’s house that evening and ran out to find out what was happening again.

Before now, the neighbours have complained of several occasions where the said man and the daughter have been engaging in physical dragging and arguments in a closed door.

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The neighbours complained that each time they knock the door to ask what the matter was between the daughter and father, the response by the father would always be that the daughter is stubborn, and needs iron hand to correct her.

Warning them to mind their business that he, (the father) has the right to train his child the way he wants. Unknown to the neighbours that these have always been attempts to rape the girl.

An interaction with the victim (the daughter) revealed that the father came back from work that Monday morning and asked her to give him water for his bath which she did. She disclosed that after having his bath, the father went inside to dress up when suddenly he called her into the room for unexplained reason.

“I went into the room, thinking he needed my assistance on anything. “When I went inside, he pushed me to the bed and began to rape me as usual, so I began to struggle with him before neighbours heard my voice and came out demanding that he open, the door else they will break it.” She said the fear of neighbours breaking the door to meet the father naked, made him leave her alone to have his dress on. It was then she had the opportunity to run out of the house to tell the neighbours what took place, and who immediately reported

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The suspect was released from police cell because there was nobody to prosecute or followup the case coupled with the closure of courts in Rivers State during the period the incident took place An interaction with a lawyer, and human rights activist, Barr. Prudence of Human Rights, Social Development and Environment Foundation (HURSDEF) in Port Harcourt, revealed that the case of rape is frequently reported to their Organisation. She disclosed some ordeals and challenges they encounter as Human rights organisation in tackling the issues of rape in the area.

the matter to the police station. three”. The suspect said he The suspect was arrested began to feel cheated when and detained in the police the mother left the marriage, cell for proper investigation that she may one day decide on the matter. During an to take the daughter to the interview after his release from rightful father and he will detention, the suspect revealed loose out after spending all his that he was not the biological resources to take care of the father of the girl as reported at girl from birth till maturity. That Barr.

Prudence disclosed the station. He narrated how was the reason he raped her. he fell in love with the mother Mr Goodhead said he was only that the strike by Rivers State of the victim some years back, trying to take his own share of Judiciary staff was among other ignorant of the fact that she was the contribution and sacrifice things, the main challenge, as pregnant until he asked her for nurturing and taking care of victims and even suspects are denied quick justice. “Several hand in marriage before she the girl from birth. cases of rape are kept pending opened up to him that she was Meanwhile, the innocent girl awaiting court resumption. It is two months pregnant before who never knew the alleged really a serious challenge” she their relationship started. history thought she was staying added.

According to Mr. Goodhead,“ with her father.

She also because I loved her, I told her disclosed that what made the She cited the case of one not to worry, and also not to mother to leave the marriage Mr Christopher Wisben of abort the baby, that I will be the was the father’s uncontrollable No 6, Bernard Car Street in father if only she will accept my urge for sex within the first two Borokiri, Port Harcourt, who proposal. The lady agreed to to three weeks of baby delivery. was reported to have raped keep the pregnancy, and we According to her, the mother a 13year old niece of the both cohabited and had two could not endure it that was wife, who was staying with more children, plus the first why she left the marriage. them. She said this case was one she came with making She was left with the younger reported to them last year, but no action has been taken also

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because of the closure of the courts in Rivers State, pleading that Rivers State Government should do something about the resumption of judicial and legal service in court in the State to enable proper and prompt prosecution of all new and pending case.

Another challenge disclosed by Barr. Prudence was the attitude of the Police concerning granting of bail to the suspects.

She pointed out that, rather than commitedly and sincerely helping in fighting the menace, the police are particularly concerned about collecting money from the victims and subsequently grant them bail.

She revealed a recent case that was reported to them about one Mr Ndidi Alfred, popularly known as “Pepper” who resides No. 12b, Adelegbu in Diobu, who was reported to have been consistently fingering her two children of (four and six) years in the mother’s absent, telling them not to tell their Mother (his wife) else there will be no biscuit for them to school. On a particular day, the 6 year old child had to open up to the mother what the father has been doing to her. The case was reported last year at the Azikiwe Police Station by his wife. But it was revealed that the police, instead of looking into the case and punishing the suspect according to the law, told her to go home and settle

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her family issue. Collected to pass judgement, but the money from the suspect (the situation where court has not husband) and granted him bail. been sitting for more than The woman said the fear of eight months becomes a big going home to live under challenge”. She said. the same roof with the so called husband made her stay separately with her two children. According to the mother, the four year old girl was tested and found infected with staphylococcus infection and the hymen ruptured, which means there is more to the story than what the little girl could open up to the mother.

Barr. Prudence said the case was reported to them on the 21st January, 2015 when the said man (suspect) went back to threaten the woman to bring back her children. This time, she chose to run to the Human Rights body since the police could not handle the case the first time.

The Barr. Said the human rights group at the time of this report, has taken up the case , with letter of petition, copying the Commissioner of Police, Rivers state, the DPO Azikiwe, mile 1 Police station, Ministry of Women Affairs, Senate Committee on Women Affairs, Ministry of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation, and Inspector General of Police concerning the case. “We are only human right advocates. We can’t be the judge. We can only do the best we can to take up the matter and leave the court

Meanwhile, a police Inspector in charge of Juvenile/ Family unit in one of the police stations where the investigation was carried out, in her bid to counter the allegation about Police compromise and collection of bribe to release the suspect said, so many cases of rape reported at the police station come with no evidence at all to prove it was rape. She added that the victims ignorantly allow some days after the incident has taken place before coming to the station to report, she also disclosed that some reports are made because the suspects probably refused to pay for the damages as agreed for the case to be called off.

“This is when you see them (victims and family members) coming to the station to report”.

She said.

Some time last year, a mother reported the case of rape at The Woji police station in Port Harcourt of one Mr Iboro, who tricked her nine year old daughter to buy him biscuit, only for Iboro forcefully close her mouth, open her two legs and raped her because, according to the mother she was putting on a gown.

The mother of the victim said that was not the first time the same Iboro had raped her child.

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The first time, she said, Iboro promised to treat the girl and pay for every damages but later refused to comply, “This is why this time around I decided to come to the station so that he will pay for the damages he has caused on my daughter”. The victim’s mother stressed Another defence by the police on the allegation of releasing culprit was that, the law does not permit them to detain suspects more than 24hrs in the cell, if not proven guilty of the offence. “This is why we release them in order not to infringe on their right too.”

The police source explained. She also pointed out that in most cases the both parties agree to come together for compromise to avoid stigmatization. These and many other factors warrant the release of suspects by the Police.

Investigation into this subject matter also proved that some victims of rape do not even report the matter to either the Police or human Rights organisation or other security, or social workers to prosecute the case on their behalf. It is also obvious that teenagers conceal their terrible experiences from their parents and guardians until some issues like pregnancy, sickness and other health related complications occur before they open up.

Similarly, a case of a 16 year old girl, also raped late last year by two men around their vicinity was reported recently at the Nkpolu Police station in Port

Harcourt. The victim disclosed that the first rape took place in Nov. 2014, when she was coming back from school.

Blessing is a primary five pupil, who can neither read nor write.

She disclosed her ordeals thus: That on her way coming back from school one day, a little boy ran to her to tell her that someone was calling her, but she refused to pay attention to the first caller. She said it was when the second person came insisting that she attends to the call that she decided to see who was calling her. “When I got into the house he pushed me to the bed, increased the volume of his radio and raped me,” she said disclosing that she was scared to inform the mother of her ugly experience.

cannot feed her with the baby.

“Let her suffer and know what it takes to be a mother” she said angrily. But the victim disclosed to this source that she has already made up her mind to abort the baby in order to go back to school.

Investigations have also revealed on the subject that some cases of rape are masterminded by the victims.

Some of the victims intentionally keep themselves in mood that encourages and attract the men, sometimes as means of making money for their survival.

According to the Police, it was also revealed that some parents set their children to be raped by men all in the bit to make money. That is why they do not allow some of these cases to be The second rape incident on taken to the court. the girl took place December The question therefore is, last year carried out by a must these trend be allowed different man. In January to continue, considering 2015 she discovered she was the trauma and damage to pregnant, but not sure of who womanhood and, and lifetime is responsible between the two damage to their image in the rapists. She reported the case family and the society? to the police from where she was referred for a scan by the In view of the following, it expedient and police in charge, so that the real becomes that serious father of the baby will be known. imperative advocacy and sensitisation At the police station, the mother campaigns be carried out in of the victim told the police this area to safe the life of the officer in charge of the case that girl child. the moment she knows who is http://www.nationalnetworkonline.com/ responsible for the pregnancy, vol12n6/crime.html she will ensure her daughter stays with the man as a wife, expressing angrily that she

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Plight of pregnant women in refugee camps Veronica Ogbole 31 January, 2015

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t has been discovered that some pregnant women among displaced persons in Nasarawa State are not accessing ante natal services. Out of the 14 women interviewed, three of them that are pregnant are not receiving any health services.

Investigating issues relating to internally displaced women in Nasarawa State, it was discovered that only three displaced women in Muluku Primary School, Nasarawa Eggon, admitted that a doctor from a village came to treat them and their children once.

They could not remember where the doctor came from.

their house and those of others She revealed that hut for wellburnt, is due to have her baby meaning Nigerians and the In a chat with Malama Hurera this month.

Mai Angwan of Angwan Idrisu, Usman, a pregnant internally she would not be alive today. displaced person from When asked why she did not go ‘The story is not different for Padama Gona who is taking to the nearby primary health Kaltume Usman Mohammadu refuge in Akurba, in lafia care clinic, as antenatal is free who is from Agabiji and also Local Government area of in Nasarawa State, she replied pregnant. Though she could Nasarawa State, she said she that it was not totally free as not tell how old her pregnancy did not have money to pay for there were still some little is, she said she was attending ante natal services. Hurera, a things that she would be asked ante natal care clinic in Agabiji, mother of five children, who to provide or pay for adding but her antenatal card was lost her husband in a crisis in that that she did not to Akurba, burnt together with their house which, she said, their village and by the time she arrived, during the crisis. Kaltume, who was attacked by herdsmen and her legs were all swollen. also lost her husband during

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the crisis, said she went to the clinic in Akurba hut was told that it had shut down due to the strike by the health workers.

from pregnancy or childbirth related complications everyday worldwide. And in Nigeria about 145 such cases are recorded The mother of six children, daily, making the country the who has been in Akurha for second highest in the world. two months, called on the During my visit, there was state government to assist news of attack in Akurba them with mattresses, blankets Asonye village by unknown and food items. All women gunmen. Displaced persons need access to ante natal care who had gone to harvest their during pregnancy, skilled care crops could not southern and during childbirth and care and northern senatorial zones support in the weeks after which have increased the childbirth. number of displaced persons.

According to a report by the It has been reported that there World Health Organisation are over 12,500 displaced (WHO), about 800 women die persons most of whom are

women and girls. The living condition of the displaced women and girls visited in Akurba, Nasarawa Eggon and Lafia is pathetic. No fewer than 15 women and children are sleeping in a room and open compound in the harsh harmattan weather with poor nutrition and no access to health services and portable water.

In a telephone chat, Dr. Abdullahi Idris, the Executive Secretary of the Nasarawa State Emergency Management Agency, said the organisation had an arrangement with

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them due to the scattered nature of the displaced persons. He said their efforts have also been frustrated by the strike by health workers in the country but added that the ministry was already meeting with private health providers to see how they could provide these services.

According to him, the staff of the ministry were recently trained on how to organize emergency humanitarian health services before, during and after the 2015 elections, should any crisis occur the Nasarawa State Ministry of Health to provide health services to communities where displaced persons were residing. Dr. Adullahi Idris said the State Ministry of Health was an important stakeholder in providing healthcare services for displaced persons in the state, adding that there was only one government designated camp for displaced persons, which is the Dunama Primary school on Shendam Road, but said the displaced persons had refused to stay there for fear of being attack. When asked of the statistics of displaced persons in the state, the executive secretary said it was difficult to give a definite figure because they were not in one place. However, he said that

displaced persons were from 20 communities in the state, adding that government had distributed relief materials to the displaced persons through their community leaders.

Commissioner of Health, Dr. Emmanuel Akabe, in an interview, did nor admit if there was an arrangement with Nasarawa State Emergency Management Agency (NASĂ‹MA) on the health of the displaced persons. He said that when he visited Andaha where some displaced persons were, he was informed at the primary health care facility that some displaced persons were accessing their services. The Director of Primary Health Care, [)r. Usman Abbe, confirmed that the ministry has not been able to adequately cater for

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Need to include female child in family inheritance Feb 11 -17, 2015

Ibunge Blessing Iruoma Female children in the eastern part of the country, Nigeria, have suffered so much neglect and exclusion from being involved in their family inheritance due to cultural beliefs and tradition of the Igbo people that women are more or less temporary children.

In some cases, the husband’s family arranges and marries a younger lady for the man in order to have male children and the first wife, who actually laboured with the man is relegated to the background and eventually pushed out of the house when the male child They are seen and treated as eventually comes from the less important to the family, yet other woman. when serious need arise in the In spite of this, the Igbo woman family they are looked upon is expected to remain in her for solution; the reason being husband’s house no matter that male children perpetuate any maltreatment meted out the man’s generation, unlike on her by her spouse or family the woman who gets married members because she as a and bears the name of her woman does not have a place husband. in her father’s house. This has Also, a female child has no hope often brought untold suffering of inheriting from her father’s to most Igbo women, especially property and as such she the uneducated ones. must get married. Again, she is deprived of even partaking from her husband’s estates in the event that the man dies and she has no male child or that her children are still very young and Shylock relatives want to have everything to themselves.

There have been cases where a woman end up begging in streets or spending the rest of her life in a strange land because she cannot go back to her father’s house after being sent away by her husband’s family.

Furthermore, most women are often subjected to the Widowhood Tradition where they are forced to drink the bath water of her husband’s corpse when the man dies under mysterious circumstances.

She is also forced to sleep with her husband’s corpse on the same bed during the night of the wake-keep and afterwards swear before a village shrine to prove her innocence or otherwise.

Until recent times that women are taking up career jobs and can actually live independently and acquire landed property, some Igbo women were marrying men that are far older than them in age or end up as second or third wives, just to have a home. A young girl who gets pregnant outside wedlock may also end up married to another woman or simply throw the child away.

Investigation revealed that in

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a male child. Since that child was born my life has become a nightmare. My husband even stopped taking care of me and my daughter who is presently an undergraduate.

“My husband always comes home with lots of food items, because he is working in the community only to give everything to his second wife in my presence just to make me jealous.

Rev. Fr Martins Anyabo

the Motherless Babies Home in Port Harcourt, for instance, most of the abandoned babies are born of Igbo girls who get

“Recently, in a bid to chase me out of the house, my husband threatened to kill me with a matchet in his hand. He pursued me round the compound, saying that if I do not leave his pregnant out of wedlock and house that evening he would they prefer to throw the baby kill me, but by the intervention away because for them it is a of his kinsmen around, they taboo. retrieved the matchet from him.

Recounting her story, Madam Martha in Anaocha LGA of Anambra State, recounted how she was forced to leave her

“The next day I reported the threat to the police and the village vigilante, where he was forced under oath not to beat me again”, she lamented.

Another sympathetic story is that of a mother of two matrimonial home for giving birth to only beautiful daughters, who was one female child. denied presence at her own daughter’s traditional marriage ceremony in January this year Martha lamented that since she for over 18 years and during for failing to give her husband could not give her husband a these years I suffered a male child. male child after over 18 years of molestation in the hands of my The lady, who preferred to marriage, he became hostile to husband. My crime was failing remain anonymous for fear her, beating her at every slight to give my husband a male child. provocation, calling her names, “At a point my husband became of victimisation and threat to and severally threatened to impatient and got married to her life said she has suffered several harassment from her send her back to her family. another woman, who came in ex-husband even when she is “I was married to my husband and immediately gave birth to

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Azuka, a young lady in her 30’s and daughter of late Madam Florence recounting the ordeal of her mother and other female siblings after the death of their father.

Barr Ifeoma Katchy

no more married to him.

“My husband drove me away from our house years ago and has always threatened to harm me whenever he sees me around the community. With the steady beating and threat from him, I became ill from where I rented a room to live with my two daughters.

“When I became helpless that I felt that I might die in the process, I contacted my family, where my sister came and took me to Onitsha for solace.

“I have two daughters that I have single-handedly trained to be women after we were driven out of their father’s house. But on the day of my first daughter’s marriage, I was denied access to witness the celebration of the child I carried in my womb and gave

Azuka, who is the first child of her mother, from a polygamous home, narrated that her mother hails from the same community with her father in Anaocha Local Government Area of Anambra but had nothing to herself after Okoye Nkiru Hope the death of their father. wives and his eight children.

According to Azuka, her “But after my father’s burial mother, Madam Florence, when he eventually died, who is now late, had three our first son, who is my step daughters. Their father had brother laid claim to the house houses both at home and in with support from his siblings Port Harcourt city where they from same mother. all lived till the demise of his “When this happened, I went father but her mother was denied of any of the property to my father’s brothers and because she only had female kinsmen to make them compel my step brother to allow us be children. part of the sharing of that house “Before his death in 2009, he but they did not even listen or shared his landed properties say anything meaningful to me. among his male children which They advised me not to even he had with other wife, and left struggle for such right because nothing for my mother and her my mother only gave birth to children because they are all female children. female children.

“Five years later, precisely in “My father refused to share March 2014, my mother died in the property in Port Harcourt an auto accident in our village. to anyone, saying that the Up till this moment that I speak resources generated from it with you, my father’s kinsmen would be used to care for his and my step brother has not

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called us to ask us how we are faring or give us anything from the proceeds of my father’s estates.

“When my mother died we rushed to the village only for our kinsmen to tell us that my step brother must give approval before any arrangement could be made on my late mother. At that point I wept and wished I or any of my siblings was a male child.

“In order to respect the tradition and I and my two sisters waited for over one week after her remains has been deposited in the mortuary before my step High Chief Agbara brother came back and picked Anaocha LGA of Anambra State, a date suitable to him without Fr Martins Anyabo, argued that considering the opinion of we, the Igbos practice the Jewish the direct children of the mother. tradition, where women are “Also during and after the burial seen as second fiddles. my step brother never showed “In the first instance, Igbo people us the written records of what believe that they have Jewish went on during the burial. He origin. In Jewish tradition, in said we don’t have right to know most cases they don’t consider what was expended on our women as eligible beneficiaries mother’s burial because we are of their father’s heritage. In women. our understanding, women do “What surprises me is that in not remain permanent in their other cultures, like what I have father’s house, they are married seen in Rivers State, the story is out to their spouses, so there is not the same and I wonder what no reason to inherit their father’s is so sacrosanct about the Igbo properties any more. tradition that they see women as “Where the problem lies is, less important in society despite a woman will not live in her civilisation”, she said. husband’s house and father’s Speaking on why the Igbo house at the same time. So any society do not recognise married woman should focus women, Parish priest of St on her husband’s house and Mary’s Catholic Church, Neni, not to look forward to inherit

her father’s property too,” he emphasised.

Fr. Anyabo argued further that “if a woman that is married loses the husband, automatically she becomes the next of kin, and her husband’s property should be shared to her too. But in some cases, the widow may have maltreated her husband to death. In this case, the daughters in the family (Umu-Ada) and kinsmen (Umu-Nna) may want to pay her back by denying her that right to her husband’s properties.”

He condemned the situation where some families deny the widow her right for no just cause, saying, “It is not always good to intimidate women in their husband’s house. Give to every woman her due right for peace to reign. But for a married

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woman to come and struggle for her father’s properties, I do not agree to that, because it shows greed. Civilization has introduced Will, in which a man (owner of the property) chooses who inherits any of his properties when he dies.”

Today, some human rights organisations, including the International Federation of Women Lawyers, FIDA, are taking up cases of women disinheritance, fighting for women who are deprived of their rights in their husband’s house.

Also, the founder of the Integrated Anti-Human Trafficking and Community Development Initiative (Intercom Africa), Okoye Hope Nkiruka, said, the culture of depriving female children of their father’s property has so much impoverished women in the South-East and that is why the girl child and women are vulnerable to trafficking and other forms of abuses.

In her view, anybody still holding firm in the name of tradition or culture to this discriminatory practice against the girl child, is irresponsible and selfish.

Barr Katchy, FIDA chairperson in Anambra State, explained that “FIDA Anambra State chapter has among several efforts to assuage the plight of the women, co-sponsored laws, namely the Administration of Criminal Law, 2010 of Anambra

State, the Widowhood Law of the Anambra State 2005, which was signed by the former Governor, Dr Chris Nwabueze Ngige. “We also have the CEDAW, (Centre for Elimination, Discrimination Against Violence Against Women), which is in line with the provisions of the procedure to the Africa Charter on the rights of women in Africa, although not yet domesticated in Nigeria, stressing that CEDAW instruments are domesticated in Anambra State, the State Chapter through the

Widowhood Law that came up subsequently.

In many cases too, the Nigerian Film industry known as Nollywood has written and acted movies intended at abolishing this tradition. But how far this can go to affect the Igbo tradition is yet to be seen as the Igbos seems to hold rigidly to this tradition more than any other part of Nigeria. http://www.nationalnetworkonline.com/ vol12n6/feature.html

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How do IIaje fare with oil exploration February 16, 2015

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Adetokunbo Abiola fter over fifty years that international oil companies began oil exploration in Ilaje local government Area of Ondo State, the lot of women has not improved substantially.

farms. It is difficult to survive this situation. I don’t know how we are surviving it at all’, said Mariam Ibinuolapo, a resident of Ubale-Nla recently.

posed by oil exploration. Oil exploration “the oil companies operating in Ilaje land want to turn the place into another Ogoni land. We are fast becoming an extinct people as a result ‘women are at receiving end throughout’ said Stella.

Stella Omoetan is also an indigene Ilaje local government area. She lamented oil The problem that arises as exploration has meant a result of the danger from maltreatment of youths during Esther Malumi is a resident of the activities of oil companies oil spills.

Ilaje. During an oil spill some has impacted negatively on According to her, she has to years ago in Ubale-Nla, most of women’s social and economic fish in the creeks and canals the cassava, okro and pepper lives, The Hope learned. of Ilaje in order to feed her in her farm died off. Livestock ‘Oil spills murder our livestock. children, but this has become was affected as result she has It destroys our plants and our difficult due to the problem found it difficult to make earns meet. Women in Ayetoro

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claim they play different roles in their community and her often differently affected by environmental degradation. According to them, the traditional division of labour gives them the duty for providing and managing natural energy resources required for the maintenance of family house hold.

The hope gathered women in Ilaje are mainly engaged in fishing, gathering of sea foods and agricultural activities, but things have changed due to oil exploration in the area.

The reporter learned that pollution from oil exploration also increases the hours women devote to fetching clean drinkable water and other water product crucial as food supplements.

lives in jeopardy.

However, the pollution of aquatic life due to oil pollution has destroyed their means of survival.

To make matter more unpalatable, this reporter ‘there are no fishes. There is learned oil companies no crayfish. The oil pollution may provide the male with had driven the fishes away.

There is no work for us again women again. We don’t see ‘Oil spill means we have to money. The little we catch, we devote more time to gathering see dear, we sell higher than of fire wood to as farmland and those who sell on land,” Kate forest has being destroyed by Agboola, a fisher woman said. the multinational companies, But the lot of women has not says Mabel Sipasi, who travels always been this precarious, from Igbobini for her fish where incidents like gas flaring business in Ilajeland. and oil spills have put their

A source told this reporter that the traditional role of women is to care for the family. And they are not expected to be part of the decision making machineries of communities.

Life changed in a dramatic manner in the sixties when oil companies such as Gulf Oil (now Chevron), Shell, AGIP and others began exploitation for oil.

“We used to have sikele, but we cannot find them anymore.

They have gone. We used to have tehetehe, which opens on water like hyacinth. It served a number of functions for us.

Consequently, compensation But they disappeared when are not directly given to the the oil companies came,” said women in the case of payment, Kate Agboola as male land owners take When the original environment everything. existed, women in Ilaje land

Oil spilled

employment in the oil sector / pay some of them stipends for jobs not done.

The Hope learned women do not enjoy this facility, which lowers their status and economic autonomy and makes females vulnerable to early child marriages and ‘There is no compensation for supplied fishes to nearby migration to cities. us’ said a source who does not towns and villages and they “Many of us are housewives, want her name in print. ’Men thrived through their fishing farmers, fisher women and take everything’ and agricultural activities. traders, “said Mabel Sipasi.

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According to her, the absence of fish has meant those who work as middle women in the fish trade have lost their business.

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cater for the welfare of children necessary for the sustenance in a polygamous setting this of life in Ilaje. places extra burden on them. But the combination of oil During the visit of this reporter exploration, gas flaring and oil to the riverine communities spills has made it impossible of Ondo state, he found for the women to create a numerous women paddling sustainable livelihood from the their canoes and traveling forests, a situation that has led several kilometers in search of to massive unemployment in good drinking water and forest the women folk. resources. ‘there is no work for us women

“Some of us are not fisherwomen, we buy the fish from the riverside and sell inland. Now, the fishermen and women have cut us off and go directly because there is no fish. That way, we find it At jetties in Ayetoro, Mahin, difficult to survive, ” she said.

Yonren and others, women This reporter learned access fisher women could be seen to potable water is difficult, beside their moored canoes, with the underground water the fishes caught in the in some parts of Ilaje polluted waterway scanty and sickly. due to the oil exploration.

Alice Alebiosun, a fisherwoman “We get our water from the streams around us,” said one woman

again. We don’t see money again. Women are crying.

Everyone is suffering’said Kate Agboola. Given their difficult environment, this reporter learned opportunity in terms of education, job in Ayetoro, says she believes and occupational mobility are the oil companies are highly restricted. responsible for the situation.

Many of the schools in these Before now, there were fishes communities such as Ayetoro in Ilaje land. But now there’re Technical college are in no more fishes, she told this dilapidated and derelict states.

The Hope observed the source of water supply serves as the means of fishing, bathing and defecating. reporter.

This could mean women may have a tough time in coping with diseases such as typhoid fever, cholera and diarrhea.

During oil spills, the pollution of the people’s source of drinking water affects their health negatively, as skin diseases become rampants.

The hope learned the most affected group of persons are children, having to cope with gastric infections and other illnesses.

Since women are expected to

In such circumstances, During the visit of this reporter, educational advancement is the pristine tropical marine severely limited resulting in illforest of the communities had educated women. been denuded penetrated by Though data are hard to tongues of ocean brought in establish the fact, The hope by marine erosion. learned the high school Traditionally, women go into dropout rate and illiteracy the forests to gather resources result in early child marriages for the community ,so they and rural-urban drift. would be in a position to feed Today, women in Ilaje are their husbands and children. facing serious challenges, with Through the forest products, many of them having to cut they can engage in gin corners for survival leading to distillation from raffia palm possible social and economic products, weaving of mats dislocation in the future. and the sale of other materials

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About Report Women! is an initiative designed to increase the reportage of girls’ and women’s issues in the media.

It focuses on major issues of access and abuse; ranging from education, to health care, violence, early marriage, among others using the tool of investigative reporting.

It also examines the role of religion in the child and woman’s rights trajectory. It aims to project the voices of girls and women in Nigeria.

Abuja. These were followed by the administration of small grants to 32 journalists who investigated and wrote issue-based stories on girls and women. Some of these stories are available on probeng.org an investigative report website facilitated by the WSCIJ.

The Report Women project includes an award, the production of an investigative documentary, and the publication of a reporter’s resource guide on reporting girls and women. The project has an online campaign on the Wole Soyinka Centre’s social media platforms especially its Twitter handle; twitter.com/ WSoyinkaCentre using the hashtag #ReportWomen.

The Report Women initiative began in May 2014 with a one month media monitoring of reportage of girls and women in seven Nigerian newspapers. After which, a stakeholders’ meeting and three investigative journalism trainings aimed at honing participants’ skills on the reportage of girls and Report Women is a modest women issues were held in attempt towards promoting Lagos, Ekiti, Cross River and girls’ and women’s rights as human rights, and ensuring

a more gender-balanced society through the media.

Report Women is a project of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism and the Royal Netherlands Embassy in Nigeria.

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About Netherlands in Nigeria The Embassy of the kingdom of Netherlands in Abuja, Nigeria covers all aspects of a diplomatic mission of the kingdom of the Netherlands.

The Embassy ensures the support of Dutch nationals while attending to consular affairs in Nigeria. It also deals with improving the welfare of human beings in it jurisdiction by contributing to building their environment.

The Embassy began it support to the call to global action on the plight of women and girls in 2014. Today it has achieved this objective in the Report Women project which has produced a final result; the premiere of the documentary; Access and abuse- the untold stories of women and girls.

About the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism The Wole Soyinka Centre Follow us on for Investigative Journalism www.facebook.com/ (WSCIJ) is a non governmental WSoyinkaCentre organization with a vision to www.twitter.com/ stimulate the emergence of a WSoyinkaCentre socially just community defined by the ethics of inclusion, wscij@wscij.org transparency and accountability through support to journalists. www.instagram.com/ WSCIJ The Centre is named after Professor Wole Soyinka in recognition of his life-long work 0908-2515-179 in support of the freedom of expression, freedom to hold www.wscij.org opinion and freedom to impart them without fear or favour Address: and without hindrance or 55, Obafemi Awolowo Way, Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria. interference.

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Partners Female Leadership Forum National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) GABASAWA Women & Children Empowerment Initiative Kudirat Initiaitve for Democracy (KIND) Ministry of Women Affairs & Poverty Alleviation, Lagos state Nigerian Association of Women Journalists (NAWJ) Project Alert Reinvent Media State Accountability and Voice Initiative (SAVI) Women Advocates Research Documentation Centre (WARDC) Women Arise for Change Initiative Women Law and Development Centre Women’s Right Advancement & Protection Alternative (WRAPA)

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