GOING by the trend of events across the country, there may be a temptation to conclude that Nigeria is now the land of bad news. It is quite a terrible situation but we hope that things do not degenerate any further. The story of Aisha Umar, a 14-year-old Internally Displaced Person (IDP) in Borno State who was recently reported dead after allegedly being raped by a humanitarian worker, is benumbing in its utter sadism. According to reports, the deceased, who was into menial jobs for survival, was lured to the suspect’s apartment near Dalori IDP camp, Maiduguri, under the pretext of a cleaning job. The suspect identified as Huzaif Adam, 35, then allegedly beat and raped her, after which, unable to come to terms with her violation and having lost the will to live, she committed suicide. According to sources, Aisha’s shrill cries for help had attracted neighbours to the suspect’s apartment and they had forced his door open, only to realise that he had by then already violated her.
Traumatised, the teenager had reportedly raced to his kitchen, picked up a knife, and stabbed herself. According to reports, before killing herself, the victim was heard remonstrating with the suspect, saying amid tears: “Why would you do this to me? Instead of bringing shame to my parents after you have deflowered me, I would rather die and go home!” She was rushed to hospital for treatment but it was too late. The suspect has since been detained at Gwange Division of the Borno Police Command after his arrest and was later transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID). But another version of the incident claimed that it was the suspect that stabbed the deceased to death.
Reacting to the incident, the Head of Mission, INTERSOS, Mr Enkas Chau, who said the suspect was on the staff of the organisation, expressed sadness at the incident, saying that he had been suspended indefinitely. Chau said: “Upon learning about this terrible incident, we have immediately suspended the staff, who was off-duty and on vacation when the incident happened. As investigation is ongoing, we will closely monitor the development and take appropriate action accordingly. We express our deep sorrow to the families of the victims. At this moment we are focusing on gathering additional information and providing the necessary assistance to the authorities. INTERSOS has a zero-tolerance policy against any form of sexual and gender-based violence. Our recruitment process follows strict and detailed guidelines in compliance with the organisation’s Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse policy, and its implementation is constantly followed up by a dedicated unit. We are also part of the Inter-Agency Scheme for the Disclosure of Safeguarding-related Misconduct in the Recruitment Process within the Humanitarian and Development Sector.”
It is indeed distressing that an IDP already betrayed by the Nigerian State which failed to protect her and her parents in their homestead was again betrayed by a so-called humanitarian worker who was meant to protect her. Apparently, the suspect, if the story as confirmed by the police and eyewitnesses is true, is a male chauvinist who believes that women’s bodies belong to men and they (men) can do anything they want with them. To such males, the female body can and must be forcefully accessed regardless of whether or not the victim is willing. In case this society needs any reminding, rapists are often the product of defective socialisation, beginning from perverse family upbringing. In many cases, men who ended up being rapists had previously committed lesser crimes, but were not held accountable for them owing to the influence of their wealthy and well-connected parents. Without realising it, such parents had often built up monsters that eventually caused their old age to be filled with misery.
In the extant case, it is worthy of note that not even the victim’s status as a child caused the suspect to backtrack from his devious plan. He violated and beat her, apparently because she had put up a resistance. It is certainly the height of cruelty that after allegedly beating and raping the deceased, a girl he is old enough to father, the suspect refused to open the door, causing distraught neighbours to force it open. And when he eventually attempted to rush her to hospital, he got involved in an accident and killed another person. There you have it: crime upon crime because of depraved lust. The law must take its course in this case and justice must be dispensed in accordance with the laws of the land. Crime can only fester when it does not attract severe consequences.
Why indeed should someone paid to protect IDPs be the one to violate and make them miserable? If the rape incident had not happened, Aisha Umar would probably still be alive. But alas, her dreams have been aborted through criminal abuse of trust by a caregiver. In previous editorials, we deplored the practice of sex-for-food in the IDP camps as officials, including members of the security agencies, took advantage of the hapless women and girls under their care. Apparently, the present case confirms that exploitation is still a fact of life in the camps. Increasingly in this society, no one seems to care about the other person. Everyone is after personal gain, no matter how perverse. That is a recipe for disaster.
We commiserate with the family and friends of Aisha Umar and wish them well as they struggle to cope with these trying times.