R*pe being endorsed by community heads –Mrs El-Rufai

The wife of Kaduna State Governor, Ummi El-Rufai, has revealed that rape cases are on the increase in the state because they are being endorsed by community leaders.

Mrs El-Rufai stated this during a campaign against rape and gender-based violence in Turukun, the headquarters of Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State while she decried the surge in rape of minors.

“We are here in continuation of our campaign against rape, to meet you the community leaders, traditional, religious leaders, social mobilizers, youth and community influencers, to help us in this fight.

“We are here to put a structure in place through which report can be made of rape cases. We also want you to help in fighting the menace within the community by being the police of your communities.

Read also: #SouthernKaduna: El-rufai’s wife, Hadiza, absolves self of blame, says, I’m not in govt

‘We are not encouraging you to beat up a suspected rapist, but help arrest such persons and reach out to the authorities.

“We also want you to help us stop the victimization of the victims of rape. It is the perpetrators of the crime that deserve to be shamed not protected.

“We have often heard of instances where community leaders themselves are the ones protecting the rapists. We are here to tell you to stop that, because if we continue to pardon the rapists just because they are our neighbours, families or even because we want to protect the dignity of the victim so that the victim would get somebody to marry them in future, then the rapists will not stop, they will always look for the next victims after being pardoned,” she said.

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