We ‘ve secured 22 convictions on rape in 18 months- Attorney General

The Department of Public Prosecutions in the Ondo State Ministry of Justice has secured 22 convictions on rape cases in the last 18 months.

Ondo State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Adekola Olawoye who revealed this during an interview with The Hope also called for stiffer penalties for rapists.

He posited that our laws need to be reviewed and amended to include stiffer punishment because with the rate at which we are going, the future of the girl-child is at stake.

The Commissioner stated that the problem Nigerians are facing presently is the  upsurge in rape cases which is giving the government great concern.

“The upsurge in rape cases is overwhelming because I have not seen this kind of a before, the speed at which people are committing this crime is heartbreaking”, he stressed.

He averred that rapists now go for minors between ages 3 and 7.

“My heart bleeds when I see these little girls being raped recklessly and callously, and I believe that this dastardly act is done to minors for ritual purpose. It is a national issue that need to be tackled with everything we got. These girls are our future mothers. They are our tomorrow, we cannot sit and watch our tomorrow being destroyed,” he emphasised.

Olawoye asserted that “our laws need to be reviewed to include stiffer punishment, adding that the prayer of every woman is to get good education, marry and have a good life, but when that is destroyed at tender age, it is sad.

The Commissioner called on the police to be more proactive in responding to rape cases, noting that if they fail in their responsibility of apprehending the criminals and bring them to book, it will spell doom for girls.

He said the Ondo state government is committed to the well-being of its people, noting that the protection of the girl-child is the cardinal principle of the government, and they will pursue it to the letter.

The Attorney General challenged mothers to rise up to their responsibilities, adding that mothers have relegated themselves to money making machines and have abandoned their fundamental roles as mothers.

“Our mothers should wake up to their duty and take care of their children especially the girl-child. They should monitor the activities of the girls, in fact, the girl-child needs extra care and surveillance, if we don’t want them to fall victims of rape,” he asserted.