Rapists should be caged ―NGO

DR Eunice Abiola, the Coordinator of a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Hope Centre for Widows and Orphans, on Saturday called for the caging of anyone found guilty of rape.

Abiola told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ibadan that rapists were not fit to live among decent people.

She was reacting to the life imprisonment verdict passed on a former vice- principal who raped a 12-year-old student in Ekiti State.

NAN recalls that one Taiwo Ajayi, a former vice principal, who had been on trial over alleged rape of his 12-year-old female student since March 2014, was on Friday sentenced to life imprisonment.

Abiola said that rampant cases of rape in the society required stiffer penalty that would discourage the menace.

“For what reason would a man take advantage of his female pupil?

“The thought of lust over someone who is young enough to be his grand-daughter would not even cross his mind if the teacher is in the right frame of mind.

“In view of this, the convict and other rape offenders caught should no longer be allowed to live in the society but caged for life.

“So the Ekiti judgment is commendable and we believe that it will serve as deterrent to other animals in human skin.

“We also urge our judges to follow the same mode of judgment because rapists deserve no leniency due to the gravity of the crime they perpetrate,’’ she said.

She further urged victims of rape to speak out and shun the culture of silence so that perpetrators could face prosecution.

Abiola further admonished mothers to be conscious of their environment, urging them to always monitor  the movement of their female children.