Police reluctant to prosecute rape offenders, says report

A survey conducted by NOIPolls has revealed a decline in the proportion of Nigerians who report rape incidence to the police.

According to the report, this inferred that Nigerians are not satisfied with the level of prosecution of rape offenders in the country when reported to the police.

The report, which was presented in Abuja yesterday, came on the heels of the rising trend of rape cases in the country.

The poll, conducted on July 8, which sampled Nigerians across the six geo-political zones of the country, noted that the issue of rape is prevalent in the country and one in every three girls in Nigeria would have experienced some forms of sexual violence before turning 25.

Curiously, findings from the survey identified causes of rape as indecent dressing (47 per cent), excess intake of alcohol by the offenders (36 per cent) and victims (34 per cent) and promiscuity (34 per cent).

Chief Executive Officer of NOIPolls Limited, Dr. Chike Nwangwu, who spoke during the presentation of the report, said the fear of stigmatisation and lack of persecution of offenders by the law enforcement agencies may encourage offenders to perpetrate more of such crimes.

He noted that rape is still a major challenge in the country as majority of Nigerians considered consent from minors, who are less than 18 years, as well as consent from an intoxicated individual, as valid consent for sexual activity.

Nwangwu called for a national discourse on rape that would remove any ambiguity on what consent and rape is.