Even after Enugu State Governor, Sullivan Chime, in October 2011 during an interaction with media executives and reporters in the state, raised an outcry over the reported cases of old women being gang-raped with bravado, one would have expected the said rapists and their alleged sponsors to quickly end the abominable.
"This is very strange. If you look at the age bracket of the victims, it's quite strange. The culprits, to me, should be examined. I don't think they are well; they must be sick upstairs. It's not normal. Why should teenagers be after 62, 80 years old women? Except we are told that the young girls have fled the community. If not, you can't explain this type of thing."
The governor further said, "But what we are sure is that government is not taking kindly the issue of rape. Of course, you know the punishment for rape. So is serious enough and anybody caught will be dealt with. Rape is a life jail offence. So if a boy of 18 years wants to go to jail for life for playing with an 80-year old woman, so be it. It's unfortunate." But less than one year after, the deviants have called Chime's warning bluff and continued with arrogance in their reported unlawful and anti-social activities!
Sunday Trust learnt that on Wednesday, July 25, 2012 a 5-man Ad-hoc Committee, set up by the Enugu State House of Assembly to thoroughly investigate the incessant rape of old women in Opi, held a public hearing with some of the stakeholders in the affected community. That was after some of the Enugu-based NGOs had, on June 19, 2021 mobilised and protested to the state assembly against rape. Thereupon a member of the House, Chika Ene, moved a motion leading to the formation of the ad-hoc committee to probe the rape issue.
The committee, which had Mr. Michael Onyeze and Hon. (Mrs) Chika Eze, as Chairman and Vice Chairman respectively, was made up of Mr Chinedu C. Nwamba, Dr Emeka Igwuabor and George Nwankw as members. The committee invited the four traditional rulers of the autonomous community of Opi and other stakeholders such as the chairman and the Vice chairman of Opi Community; the council leaders; Rev. Father of the Catholic Church, Opi; chairman of Opi town Union, Abuja branch; women leaders of Ogbo-Ozalla, Ibeku and Idi Opi; town union leaders; chairmen of various communities; various NGOs such as Umuada Igbo, Women Aid Collective (WACOL),National Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), Hope Givers Initiative (HOGI), National Council of Women Society, Catholic Women Association, Opi and others at the council secretariat, Nsukka to the public hearing on the issue of rape.
The traditional ruler of Ogbozalla community of OpI Nsukka, (apparently the most affected community), in Nsukka local council, Igwe Fabian Ogbuabo, while briefing the public hearing, said the continuous rape of old women in his domain was caused by the women's non-compliance with the payment of N100 security levy.
"The women were told to pay N100 each as security levy to prevent them from being raped, since they are the targets, but they refused paying and this has made the Neighbourhood Watch to relax in the performance of ensuring the safety of their lives" the Igwe, is one-time Secretary to the Enugu State Government (SSG). The Igwe's speech attracted a lot of verbal missiles from the participants, including the committee members who reprimanded him.
In her submission, a woman leader in the community, Mrs Ngozi Agbo enjoined the state government and the relevant security agencies to provide adequate security for women in Opi since youths who are specialists in raping old women are hunting for their heads. The women of Ogbozalla and Ibeku community no longer sleep in their houses for fear of being gang-raped by red-eyed young men allegedly roaming the town looking for women to defile, according to Madam Agbo, who shed tears as she briefed the committee. Her speech drew tears from the participants at the public hearing when she reminded them that the women now sleep outside the community because of the menace of the rampaging rapists.
Agbo also told the committee that the raping of old women had become a recurring saga because the rapists received undue protection and support from some wealthy and influential members of the area who, she said, go secretly to bail the culprits from police detention.
"We are calling on government to come to our rescue. Our traditional ruler has not helped matters; he doesn't live in the community. He and his family live in Enugu city and because of this, he has shown little concern in our sufferings," she said pitifully.
The Parish Priest of St. Charles Parish, Rev. Fr. Martins Ozioko, alleged that the leaders of the community were fond of introducing "local politics" in the matter they should have come out to condemn strongly.
"This case will not stop until the leaders and politicians come out boldly to condemn this evil. Opi is now a mystery of sort but my joy is that one day everybody will give account of his stewardship on earth before God," Fr. Ozioko said.
However, the Chairman of Nsukka Local Government Area, Barrister Tony Ugwu, said he was surprised by the media publicity given the rape issue by the groups championing the case. He said they never bothered to report to the council authorities before rushing to invite the press.
"It is unfortunate that as the Chief Security Officer of the council, none of the so-called NGOs thought it wise to come to me before going to the media. I read everything about the rape on the pages of newspapers and they have been cashing in on this to make money for themselves," he said. Ugwu neither supported nor condemned the rape; he did not proffer any solution to the insecurity problem facing the old women in the area.
The various NGOs strongly condemned the brazen rape of old women, insisting that such shameful act attracted heaps of curses and retrogression (backwardness) to the communities and persons involved in it. The NGOs, in their submissions, made 7-point recommendations, insisting that the Enugu State government should quickly come to the aid of the women who have been raped by sorting out their health conditions, while calling for the reorganisation of the town's security outfit as well as an establishment of a police post at Ogbo-Ozalla community.
The NGOs also called for the removal of the Igwe if he continues to live outside his domain, and appealed for non-stigmatization of neither any of the rape victims nor taxing of any woman for security reasons. They advised that all the people with questionable characters in the area should be reported to the police for possible prosecution in a competent law court.
"Rape is not just barbaric but also inhuman. The mere mention of this four letter word sends goose pimples and fear in every woman both sane and insane. The consequences of rape ranges from medical, psychological, emotional, distress, depression and so on, and that is why every right-thinking person and government should go against such heinous crime," said Mrs Onyeka Udegbunam, the Executive Director, Hope Givers Initiative (HOGI), one of the NGOs crusading against the rape of women in the area.
The Opi Nsukka case is one that has brought to the fore the various consequences of rape as well as the nonchalant attitude towards conviction of perpetrators and lack of care for the victims who immediately after the act is so traumatised and stigmatised to be able to seek medical attention, according to the NGOS.
Onyeze called for cooperation from all the stakeholders, emphasising that with sincerity, they will arrive at a solution that will end the problem. He expressed disgust at the native ruler, Igwe Ogbo-Ozalla for forcing women to pay for their security so that they will not be raped. "This is unfair," Onyeze remarked angrily.
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