ABUJA – Human rights activist and writer, Mr Emmanuel Onwubiko has in Abuja called for the castration of rapists in the country.
Onwubiko, who is the National Coordinator of the Human Rights Writer’s Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), made the call at the launch of his book titled: Who Cares about Human Rights.
Onwubiko said it was annoying to see rapists in this country go without punishment.
“Media wrote about it but nothing is done by the officials handling the case as if they receive bribes to keep quiet on the issues.’’
According to him, in England rapists are treated worse than terrorists, they are not allowed to stay close to where young girls or school children are.
According to him, in Nigeria, after a case of rape is reported to the police, they handle the case carelessly, allowing the offender to go free.
Onwubiko used the forum to call on the first lady, Mrs. Patience Jonathan, to champion the cause of child welfare and reduce incidents of rape in the country.
“As a mother to Nigerian children, she should take it upon herself to see that men who rape minors are dealt with.
“There should be serious fight against sexual violation of children and government should be up and doing about this issue.’’
He said sexual maltreatment of children were on the rise because there was no strong punishment for the crime.
On corruption, he said the legal frameworks for waging war against corruption were being impeded by bureaucratic bottlenecks and snail speed in the justice system.
“Prosecution of corrupt cases is deliberately weakened by corrupt-minded persons in the law enforcement agencies charged with the investigating and prosecuting.
“Those in top government positions caught in the web of corruption are too powerful and too rich. They hire top flight lawyers to frustrate proceedings’’, he said.
He urged the government to stop funding Ministries, Departments and Agencies that had failed to deliver on their mandates.
He said the National Orientation Agency, Child Welfare, National Complaints Commission, among others, needed to step up their performance.
Chief Steve Oronsoye, former Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, praised the hard work of the writer, urging him not to relent in his efforts to proffer solutions to the challenges being faced by Nigeria.