Gbajabiamila: ‘Rape is a pandemic, it should be treated like coronavirus’

Femi Gbajabiamila, Speaker of the House of Representatives has likened rape crisis in Nigeria to a pandemic, saying the crime should be treated the way coronavirus is treated.

Gbajabiamila said this on Wednesday, July 15, 2020, when a group of gender activists under the auspices of the Movement Against Rape and Sexual Violence visited the House of Representatives visited to seek action against rape and other sexual crimes, ThePunch reports.

While addressing the group led by Hadiza Isma El-Rufai, Wife to the Governor of Kaduna State, the Speaker said, in his estimation, rape and sexual violence have become a pandemic in the country, adding that Nigerians must stand against the crime.

Gbajabiamila said the statistics on rape cases in Nigeria is alarming. He added that only a depraved mind that can engage in rape.

“While I see so many women here with you, this is a fight not just for women. I can see some few men too, but this is a fight for all. Let a subliminal message be sent that even though over 95 per cent of the victims are women; let it be that it is we, the men, that are championing your cause.

“The statistics are very alarming on the issue of rape. You hear figures in terms of rape and gender-based violence that are mind-boggling. It is only a deprived mind that can engage in rape. I consider the issue of rape as a pandemic. In my estimation, it is a pandemic.

“The issue of rape should be treated the way coronavirus is treated. How do we treat a pandemic? There has to be a frontal onslaught. The media has a role to play. It should be in the front line. There is a lot of work to be done from different angles. In a pandemic, you look for a cure. No sane man would have sexual intercourse with a three-month-old baby. The idea alone is sickening.” he said.