30 Jan 2009 |
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Queen Okoye: Raped by the police By Reuben Abati "I READ this story in the PM News about the woman who went to the Area G Police Station in Ogba, Lagos to protest that she was raped by three policemen two months ago, and that she is now pregnant. She wants justice, but the police authorities won't listen to her. It is such a sad story." "One Miss Queen Okoye. I got the details from someone who witnessed the show. The police insist that she is a mad woman. The woman removed her clothes, and was clad only in her underwear. Pretty woman o. Nice body. Eh, Alhaji." "You see? And we blame the police. You, Nigerian men are sick. I can bet that while she was protesting about being raped, other men would have been wondering what it would be like to be alone with her. Rape is such a common thing in Nigeria now. You get to hear of old men raping two year olds, five year olds, husbands raping housemaids, their wife's relations, the daughters of neighbours, teachers raping their female students. And just now, you too sounded like a rapist." "No o. Ha, just admiring the work of the Almighty. There is nothing wrong in that. If I want a woman, I chase her normally and I settle. I always settle. Those policemen are in trouble now because they didn't settle" "You always settle. Just listen to that. There was a story about a man who raped his mother-in-law. Did he settle too? The matter had to be hushed up to protect the family from public disgrace. Male talk in Nigeria is riddled with signs that the country is full of not just chauvinists but rapists. You said it now: settle. I have also heard men refer to us in relation to our body parts: big boobs, a pretty face, full or thin lips. Bakassi, Landcruiser, Oshodi Oke, Mango, Pawpaw, Shikishiki, Feeding Bottle, Lepa, Eru, Ile ise, Owialeke, Pepper yo yo, Black and Shine, Baby, Portable, Suzie... They make you feel like you are a commodity to be picked up from the shelf. And you, I expect you to be more civilized." "Well, a man must have a choice. Freedom of choice." "That is how it starts. Every rapist is a prisoner of choice, including those who rape children. Some even rape their wives." "No. In Nigeria, there is no such thing. Your wife is your wife. Point of correction." "I believe you are just being mischievous. It is not you talking. Have you taken something? Look, I think what we are dealing with goes beyond that woman who stripped herself naked in Ogba. It is a serious social crisis. Nigerian men are obsessed with sex, and most of them would rather force women to the bed." "If I may play the devil's advocate, in some countries, the men prefer men. The majority of Nigerian men love their women. Give us some credit" "The big scandal is that the police are not interested in prosecuting rapists. The police station itself is a rape centre. That is the point that woman was making. She had gone there to ask the police to help her arrest her boyfriend who had taken her N30, 000. They asked her to wait till 10p.m, so they could spring a surprise on the man. One thing led to another, she claims she was charmed, and when she woke up at 2. 30a.m, she discovered that she had been raped, and she was bleeding. I guess when she was reporting her boyfriend at the station, they were not listening to her story at all. They were more interested in her body." "Looks like all the policemen on duty took part in that special operation." "She went to the police station to ask for the support of law enforcement officers. Not knowing that there are criminals in uniform. We have a country where it is risky for a woman to allow herself to be detained overnight in any police station. One girl living with a friend of mine was once detained overnight by the police, she was gang-raped all through the night. In fact, you need to talk to prostitutes that stand by the roadside in Lagos. When the police arrest them every evening, they take them to the station and impose a punishment of free sex." "I am working on a theory that sex is the most popular form of recreation in Nigeria. No light. No water. No jobs. No money. What do you want Nigerian men to do?" "There was this girl that was once shown on television, she had gone to a police station to report that she was raped by her boyfriend. She said the police ended up making jest of her. They asked her to go away and stop complaining about nothing. They were more interested in knowing whether she enjoyed it or not." "I am thinking of another theory. Maybe we should castrate all Nigerian policemen. A National Police of Eunuchs. How about that?" "You and your stupid theories." "Okay, this your sister Queen that you are fighting for. What kind of woman is she herself? Did she have to stay at the police station till 10p.m? And how did she know she was charmed? She was raped two months ago, why didn't she take up the matter then." "She did. Nobody would listen to her. She was reporting the police to the police. And you know how it is" "I don't know. Is that why she now went to the police station armed with fetish objects? She had with her a pigeon, a cross, other fetish objects and she was chanting incantations in broad daylight. She even threatened that she would not stop cursing the men who raped her until they dropped dead. She could have been arrested for having the mind to commit murder. She could have been arrested for constituting herself into a public nuisance too. And I dare add that her nakedness was provocative, it was an unnecessary invitation to other men." "Nigerian women are powerless where rape is concerned. Even the section of the Criminal Code dealing with rape was written by men. It doesn't favour the woman at all. It exposes her to further humiliation. She is required to prove that she was raped. And in the court, there will be calls for medical examination and proof of penetration, and absence of consent. How do you prove rape with such law two months after the fact? And how many women will have the courage to allow such exposure? Miss Okoye's resort to spiritual warfare may look like self-help but she speaks for all powerless Nigerian women whose greatest enemy is the phallus." "Hey, sweetheart, come on. That is not an objective statement. You are too partisan in this matter. Even all those your women's rights activists and professional feminists won't say that. If you want to talk about rape, do so, but be honest about that other matter." "To hell with it. We need to do something in Nigeria about rape, about sexual harassment and the Police Command should take Ms Okoye's protest seriously. We can't run a good society if every woman that steps into a police station is seen as a victim. Sections 357 of the Criminal Code and Section 282 of the Penal Code should be reviewed and amended. And other women should not leave Okoye alone. Women empowerment groups in civil society should seek her out and take up her battle. There should be a protest of thousands of Nigerian women to draw attention to the rapists in uniform and the crimes they commit." "Very good. My only input is that all the women who will join that protest should do so in bra and pants: Ms Okoye's symbol of protest. And I am looking forward to seeing you, Miss Womanist, join that protest. I will love to see you in bra and pants. You are a pretty woman you know. A perfect symbol of pulchritude, well-made, finely sculptured, a darling, a sweetheart. I confess that if I am left alone with you in a room, I swear, I will misbehave." "If anybody tries it with me, that person will go to jail. I assure you." "If loving and admiring you will mean going to jail, I am 100 per cent ready, my dear. Jail. No be human beings dey there?" "You know what you are?" "A smitten admirer. A gentleman in love." "No. You are a goat." "Oh, Sugar. Come on Baby. You know you are a sweetheart any day. The only goat that is giving anybody any trouble in Nigeria today is in Ilorin. The robber that tried to steal a Mazda car and then turned into a goat to escape arrest." "Are they still on that nonsense?" "This week, the Ilorin Police Command has issued two statements on the matter. First, they said the goat was on hunger strike. It refused to drink water. And it won't accept grass." "It probably wanted pounded yam with ogbono soup. They should have tried that." "But I think two days ago, there was a new twist to the story. The Police Commissioner in Kwara State said they had taken a look at the Police Act, the law does not empower the police to keep unclaimed property. So whoever brought the goat to the police station, or whoever is the owner should come and claim it, otherwise the police would have no option but to auction the goat next week." "You mean the Kwara Police Command is just remembering the Police Act? And who do they think will buy a goat that had been said to be a human being. The police themselves should eat the goat. They have mouths, don't they? One of them should buy it at the auction." "At what price?" "Who cares?" "No, you should care. Because before long, the entire Nigeria Police will be busy arresting goats, ducks, pigeons, rabbits and so on as suspects. In a season of economic depression, there is no limit to what people can do to fill their stomachs with food." "All of this is happening in Nigeria, and President Umar Musa Yar'Adua goes on leave?" "You mean it is the duty of the President to worry about rape in a Lagos police station and a goat incident in an Ilorin Police station" "These are symptoms of a deeper crisis. Let's face it: Nigeria is not working. Nigerians need a new deal. The country needs to be fixed. The President can't go on leave when the country is facing an emergency. There is no electricity supply in the country, the stock market has crashed, the country's foreign reserves is going down, the Naira is losing value, about 23 per cent in a month, the national economy has failed, the people have no jobs, no food, no hope, the 2009 Budget is even not in place yet. You go on leave after you have done some work. What has President Yar'Adua done in close to two years for him to merit going on leave? "He has married off two daughters to state governors. Is it easy? Let's be fair to this man." "People are saying the man is using style to go to hospital". "I think the section of the Nigerian Constitution dealing with the qualification of persons for public office is due for amendment. Having the right level of energy for public office must be made an issue. The Constitution talks about insanity as a ground for disqualification. But the reality is that Nigerians can live with insane leaders. What is more frustrating is having leaders who are nursing all kinds of diseases, which have to be taken care of at public expense. " "Yes" "If a man knows that he is not well, him no get energy, let him not seek elective office. In fact, if anybody has any record of constant malaria or typhoid fever, he should not be allowed to run for office. Take the case of the Yobe Governor, Mamman Ali who just died." "Don't speak ill of the dead, please. Be careful."
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