BY TIMOTHY AGBOR, OSOGBO
A housewife (name withheld) has been reportedly gang-raped by some bandits in Zamfara State.
The suspected rapists were said to have forced the mother of three to bed recently in the presence of her husband and children.
It was gathered that the bandits stormed the family residence located in Shinkafi Local Government Area of the state, in broad daylight and overpowered the victim’s husband and children by pointing guns at them before taking turn to rape the woman.
Confirming the incident, the Zamfara State Coordinator, National Human Rights Commission, Abdulahi Abubakar, said that the woman was later taken to the hospital for medical examination.
Abubakar revealed that the victim’s husband divorced her after the incident, adding that efforts by the commission to invite the man for counselling proved abortive.
The NHRC coordinator said that the commission provided accommodation for the rape victim having been sent packing by her husband. It was gathered that the woman had been enrolled at a skill acquisition where she was learning tailoring.
He said, “The woman was attacked inside her husband’s home in Shinkafi Local Government Area of Zamfara State and she was gang-raped by bandits in the presence of her husband and children.
“The National Human Rights Commission received the information and we followed it up. We got the woman and took her for a medical check-up. We then followed up with the Zamfara State Ministry of Women Affairs. There are some NGOs that we collaborate with so that they can assist the woman psychologically and health wise and also take care of her medical bills. It was really a sad occurrence that left the whole family in trauma.
“It is unfortunate that after the incident, the husband of the abused woman divorced her. The woman claimed that she was sent parking because of the rape. We invited the husband to know the reason why he divorced his wife, but he is in a village where we cannot go for now because of the security threat in the area.
“She is currently having training at the Women Centre in the state and we are making efforts to buy tailoring materials for her after the training.”
Abubakar also disclosed that some female secondary school students were recently abducted and raped by some bandits in the state.
He said that one of the victims tested positive to Human Immunodeficiency Virus after tests were carried out on them.
He said that two bandits were arrested in connection with the rape of the teenage school girls, adding that they were already cooling their heels in police custody.
According to him, reports of rape have become rampant in the area as the commission receives complaints on a daily basis while some of the victims and their relatives don’t want to report the cases in order to avoid being stigmatized.
“It is also true that some female secondary school students were abducted and gang raped by bandits in the state recently. We received a call from a sexual assault referral centre and we acted upon it.
“We met one of the victims and interviewed her. Her parents were also interviewed. They wanted to withdraw the case so that the girl (victim) would not be exposed. A bandit who led the abduction and one of the motorcyclists that took them (away) had been arrested. They are now with the police.
“We carried out medical tests on one of the victims that we interviewed at the Federal Medical Centre, Zamfara State and it was confirmed that she was HIV positive. She might have been infected by her abusers. She has been in a safe home ever since,” Abubakar explained.
On the frequency of bandits’ activities in the state, Abubakar said, “We are being attacked by bandits almost on a daily basis. Presently, we have some human rights abuses against our women and children. The National Human Rights Commission is doing its best in ensuring that we handle the issue and make sure that some reliefs are made available for the victims of banditry.
“We receive reports of rape daily even when victims and their relatives don’t want to be reporting it. When we follow it up to see them, we get to hear more. But they (victims) don’t come to report on their own because they see it as something that would expose them. When we meet them, we tell them that it is confidential and their pictures, names or addresses would go to the public.”
