NANS Advocates 20 Years Jail Term For Rapist
By ABIODUN JIMOH, ABEOKUTA
National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has advocated a minimum of twenty years jail term for any rapist as part of measures to curb the menace of rape cases across the country.
The student body stated this at a rally held in Abeokuta on Thursday to condemn the incessant rape cases and suicide mission among youths in the country.
The rally that commenced from NNPC area to Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) Secretariat, at Abiola Way, Abeokuta, where they received and addressed by the labour Chairman, Comrade Emmanuel Bankole.
At the rally led by Comrade Bamgbose Tomiwa, Chairman, NANS Joint Campus Committee (NANS JCC), Ogun State chapter was the Zonal D South-West Coordinator of NANS, Comrade Kowe Odunayo Kalusa and other students carrying various placards to condemn the act.
Speaking with newsmen, Comrade Tomiwa remarked that the essence of the rally was to show concern and to create public awareness about increase in rape cases that occurred in the society these days and the manner of suicide among youths.
He said: “Whatsoever things that is bad is bad, there is no other name for bad other than the word bad. Rape is an act that is condemnable in the society, it is something that one should not encourage anybody to go into.
“It something that the government should rise up against in order to curb it before this thing becomes something that will become rampart in the society.
“The adverse effect that rape has on our students and society is something that leads to psychological trauma on the part of the person whose is being raped. It is not something that could be encouraged, the alarming rate is something that calls for condemnation.
“On our own part, we have been sensitizing our students about this immoral act, and we will continue to do that.
“We are appealing to the state government and most especially the legislative arm that there should legislate, bring out a law that will condemned this act and impose severe punishment on anybody that is being caught within this behaviour.
“I think to correct that act is the most important thing, nevertheless no sinner will go unpunished. I suggest that nothing less than twenty years imprisonment for anybody that ventured into this act, because it is not right and not something that one should ever going into.”
In the same vein, Comrade Odunayo in his admonition affirmed that every now and then, critically, they have taken one or two fundamental movements just to make it sure that they toured all the states. Adding that they were recently in Benin with NANS National President to protest against that killing of Uwa by the rapist in the state.
“We were also in Ibadan to lead a powerful protest along the government office and tell the residents of Ibadan that we kicked against rape. We went to Barakat house to sympathise with the family. So my view is every Nigerians should continue this sensitization that off course let us say no to rape, and no to suicide, because it is immoral.
“Before now we have been preaching that it should be death penalty, after taken serious and holistic approach on whoever that do this should be given 20 years imprisonment so that they would learn their lesson from that particular behaviour, it is immoral act, and justice must be done to that,” he bemoaned.
However, while addressing the students, the NLC boss commended the leaders and other students for taken the giant steps to condemn the immoral act which has become worrisome in the society.
Comrade Bankole said: “It is a worthy call, and we have to salute their courage. This is to show that unionism is not about fighting alone, not about personal gain alone, it is about the good of the society. It is a worthy call that I think any right thinking citizens of this country should support them.
“The aspect of rape in the society has become so rampart and this creation of awareness is very good, particularly for policy makers, it should not be fire brigade approach, it should not be once and for all thing, we must s
