By Felix Khanoba
The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has called on relevant government bodies to enact a law that will ensure individuals who are guilty of rape crime are sentenced to death penalty.
NANS described current punishment for rapists across the country as unacceptable, saying a review of law on rape has now become imperative following the rising number of the ugly incidents in recent times.
President of NANS, Comrade Danielson Akpan, made the call in the association’s position paper on the rape and gruesome murder of Vera Uwaila Omozuwa, a year one student of the University of Benin, Edo State.
“I wish to state categorically and unequivocally that NANS is completely dissatisfied with the current penalty for rapists in the purview of the country’s law, hence, demands a swift review in this regard,” Akpan said in a post on the association’s twitter handle, @NANSNIG.
The students’ leader, who also condemned the alleged rape to death of Barakat Bello, a student of the Institute of Agriculture, Research and Training, Ibadan, Oyo State, said only capital punishment would deter would-be rapists from nursing such evil agenda.
“I am therefore calling on the government, especially the legislative arm of government to as a matter of urgency enact a law with capital punishment as penalty for rapists in the country.
“I believe in solemnity that with stringent and harsh penalties the prevalence of rape cases in the country would be mitigated to a very large extent,” he said.
The NANS president called on the police to leave no stone unturned in fishing out those involved in rape crimes, vowing that the association would not folds its hands and allow students to be raped.
His words: “While we are yet to grapple with the sad reality of the demise of Uwa through rape I received the sad news of the death of Barakat Bello of the institute of Agriculture, Research and Training Ibadan, another rape victim .
“I therefore implore and charge the Nigerian police force to deploy the vigour and seriousness in the case of Uwa in that of Barakat.
“I wish to strongly warn against incessant rape cases involving Nigerian students as victims, as they would no longer be condoned by NANS under my leadership henceforth. I would be inaugurating NANS anti-rape committees across campuses and the 36 states of the federation as a an approach from my office to aid the curb of the ungodly act of rape.”
