Lawyers say rapists must face full wrath of law

Some lawyers have urged judges and magistrates to ensure that anyone convicted for rape is sanctioned in accordance with the stipulated criminal laws of the land.

The lawyers in separate interviews in Lagos on Sunday said it was sad that many trials for alleged rapists were never concluded logically.

While some of the lawyers suggested life imprisonment with hard labour, others said that alleged rapists should not be granted bail while on trial.

A lawyer, Mr Olamilekan Ojo noted that the cases of raping were increasing daily in the country going by the increasing number of such cases in magistrate courts.

According to Ojo, the increasing rate of rape cases in Nigeria will no doubt harm the moral, psychological and intellectual foundation of society.

“There has been a rise in rape cases because our society seems to be immoral and uncultured.

“And until we tackle the causes of increasing rate of rape cases, it will continue to rise,’’ Ojo said.

He urged parents to place greater emphasis on sex education for their young girls, adding that they needed to be more vigilant as they hold the key to tackling the menace.

“Parents should observe closely their children’s care giver; teach sex issues at home and they must check activities of their house keepers too,’’ he said.

Mr Samuel Ishola, a legal practitioner said that those who rape minors ought not to be granted bail during their trials.

“We need to put measures in place that will serve as a deterrent to persons who raped minors to face the full wrath of the law.

“Those culpable of rape must be sentenced to life imprisonment so that others will learn from their punishment.

“The new administration of criminal justice law which has been recently passed should be executed in such a way to curb the menace of child rape.

“Rape is a violation of the body and a traumatic one at that that can leave the victim scarred for life,’’ he said.

Ishola urged courts to order that alleged rapists remained in custody until they were proven innocent.

Another lawyer, Mr Taiwo Ajayi, said that the penalty for rape must be made stiffer even to the point of denying the rapist bail.

“It is a dent on our criminal administration system that a rape suspect is released before the matter gets to court because of complacency on the part of parents and the police.

“The child or person that was raped is the one that bears the stigma and cannot live a life devoid of fear of the opposite sex.

“Punishment for rapists must be life imprisonment with hard labour and the society should be made to see them as outcasts.

“We cannot afford to be lenient in the punishment of rapists,’’ Ajayi said.