That beheading incident in Ekiti

IT takes a truly gory incident like the one that happened last week in Ilasa-Ekiti, Ekiti East Local Government Area of Ekiti State, to remind Nigerians of the extent to which many in the society are ready to go to take the law into their own hands. More to the point, it goes to confirm what many women’s advocacy groups across the country have been saying: that whether in the private sphere of romantic relations or in everyday social intercourse, the decks are still by and large stacked against girls and women in Nigeria.

The incident in question is the suspected beheading of a young Fulani woman by a young Fulani herdsman. Although key details of the incident remain unknown, reports in the media indicate that the suspected herdsman had reached out to the deceased woman, who had been betrothed to him, to spend the Eid-el-Fitr festive break (Monday June 3 and Tuesday June 4) at his place. From all indications, the young woman had declined the invitation, citing concerns (legitimate, given what followed) about her betrothed’s mental state, especially his partiality to strong beverages and hard drugs. Hurt by the young woman’s refusal, the suspect laid an ambush for her near the stream where she and her younger sister regularly fetched water, and apparently pounced on her right in the presence of the younger sister, who hastily fled.

• I demand justice over my husband’s death ― Wife of murdered man cries

While the killing predictably threw the otherwise sleepy town of Ilasa Ekiti into turmoil, it would appear that the announcement by the state Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Caleb Ikechukwu, that the suspected killer is under arrest and that investigations into the dastardly act are continuing, has restored a semblance of calm. We applaud the Police PRO for moving fast to douse the tension in the community. In the same vein, we commend the Alasa of Ilasa, Oba Ajayi Omolagba, for immediately convening an arbitration meeting to which the families of the deceased woman and her suspected killer were invited.

Yet, while the intervention of Oba Omolagba is to be commended, particularly as it is aimed at repairing the damage to the community’s moral fabric, it should be clear that it is no substitute for a criminal prosecution. Murder is a serious affair, and this makes it imperative that the Ekiti State police command complete its investigations in a timely manner, after which the suspected killer should be made to face justice.

Beyond legal resolution, it is worth pointing out that, as we mentioned earlier, this is yet another demonstration of the skewed relationship between men and women, particularly young men and young women, in the country. Such is the imbalance that, almost as a rule, men feel entitled to the bodies of women, and consider it an affront when they cannot have their way, or when a woman dares to express agency in any way. It goes without saying that such toxic male behaviour is often sanctioned by patriarchal custom. The young woman in Ilasa-Ekiti lost her life precisely because she rebuffed her betrothed’s advances, thus rightly questioning a choice she had played no part in making.

One way of honouring her memory is to ensure that her killer is brought to book. Another is to work towards a society in which girls are the equal of boys, and women of men.