Islamic groups link rising sexual assaults to moral, justice collapse

Muslim organisations have expressed worry over the spate of rape in the country, attributing the upsurge in sexual assaults moral decadence and justice collapse.

The groups called on the police and other relevant agencies of the executive and judicial arms of government to ensure that offenders are brought to justice.

An Islamic group, Network for Democracy and Development, urged governments to do more to protect and rehabilitate rape victims. National Coordinator of the group, Tajudeen Alabede and Director of Public Affairs, Dr Abdul-Wasi Moshood, in a statement described the rate of rape in the country as worrisome.

The group condemned rape, and urged governments to ensure that perpetrators are adequately convicted. According to the Network, statistics showed that from January 2020 to April 2020, a total of 529 rape and domestic violence cases were taken to court in Lagos State.

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“The figure is for only Lagos State over a period of just four months.

“We dare say that those cases were merely the reported ones as many more cases of rape and domestic violence may go unreported by the victims and their families for fear of stigmatisation and for other reasons.

“We are horrified by the direction of the national conversation which in part blames victims of rape for the inhuman and criminal act.
”There can be no justification for rape under any circumstance,” it said.

The Criterion, an Association of Muslim Women in Business and Professions also condemned in strong terms, the spate of rape and murder in the country in recent times.

The Criterion in a statement signed by her National Ameerah (President) Hajia Fatymah Yewande Oyefeso, called on the relevant authorities to bring the perpetrators of the barbaric crimes to book.

Oyefeso, while expressing worry over the incidents lamented the incessant rape and murder of girl child and young women in the country. The National Council of Muslim Youths Organisation (NACOMYO) in a separate statement jointly signed by its National President and National Secretary General, Mallam Sani Maigoro and Alhaj Mas’ud Akintola called on governments at all levels to ensure that perpetrators of the heinous crimes were quickly brought to justice to serve as deterrent to others.

The group said that these and other sexual assaults in recent times were clear indicators of the collapse of human security in the country. The Muslim youth body expressed total aversion to gender–based violence, ritual killings and child abuse, describing all these as antithetical to decency and against human sensibility.

While praying to God to comfort the bereaved families, the council urged parents to be more committed to child upbringing and to partner government at all levels in protecting girls from marauders.