That incidents of rape in the most populous Black Country in the world, Nigeria, is on a steady and speedy rise is no longer news. That it is not uncommon for rape in Nigeria to go unreported is also no longer news. Just last month, Nigeria’s number one policeman, the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, disclosed to a bewildered global audience that between January and May 2020, 799 rape suspects have, so far, been arrested while 631 rape cases have been conclusively investigated and charged to court. He further disclosed that 52 cases are still being investigated.

Afraid of stigmatization, social labeling, victim blaming and shaming, police extortion and lack of trust in the Nigeria’s legendary comatose judicial system, several rape victims and their families choose not to report rape cases to the authorities. Then there are instances where those brave enough to report to the authorities are targeted with derogatory comments at the police station. According to the BBC, in 2017 alone, there were 2,279 reported cases of rape and indecent assault, 1,164 reported cases of “unnatural offences” such as anal sex in Nigeria, and of these humongous figures, there was zero conviction reported by the Police.

While a huge percentage of these rape victims are adults, a reasonable number are minors, especially, underaged children. With these statistics and given that the month of June, has seen not a few young innocent females across the country fallen prey to evil men with premeditated thoughts of satisfying their sexual desires who forcefully and violently abused, molested and violated them sexually, while some not so lucky ones were even killed after the heinous and horrifying crime, it is understandable, why Miranda Tay-Brown, a wife, mother, social influencer and philanthropist residing in Bonny Island, Rivers State, Nigeria would speak so passionately about this monstrous menace afflicting the society today.  

In this telephone interview with the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of Kristina Reports, Godswill Jumbo, the women’s rights’ advocate, an alumni of the University of Port Harcourt, Choba, and Our Lady of Fatima Girls’ College, Borikiri, both in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, who hails from Finima in Bonny Local Government Area of Rivers State, and married with two kids, called for capital punishment for rape offenders, urging relevant authorities to rev up investigations relating to rape cases and fast-track the judicial process to bring swift justice to rapists. Read the excerpts:

Kristina Reports: What prompted you to get the child to access medical treatment? What occurred to you as a woman, as a mother, as a role model, as an influencer, what occurred to you about this situation that made you go out of your way to get this child to a medical facility?

Miranda Tay-Brown: Firstly, before anything, I am an empathetic being. I always try to put myself in any situation so as to feel closer to the situation as the actual person in the situation. When certain situations occur I always see myself in that situation and I ask myself, if it were to be you what would you do? If this were myself or my daughter in the same situation, what will I do? Then, secondly, in Bonny here, several weeks ago, I’ve seen one that I didn’t want to get involved in because of the way the whole thing was going. That was like four years ago, I think in Finima here, the lady brought in her niece, and this uncle has been sleeping with this niece. She was 9, and the uncle has been sleeping with her until she was 14. I think she couldn’t hold it anymore she had to open up. Now, how it ended was that they had to prosecute and send the guy out of the town. Banishment is good but not enough, so, they banished and prosecuted him. I think it was last year, there was a rape incident in Bonny involving Fubara Pepple. . People took it up, and I know that that guy is still serving jail term. To me, I feel that is how issues like this should go.

The mother of the girl was helpless, she couldn’t express herself correctly. I moved because I was led to. The crowd was just gathered and confused at the moment. The next day when I had to return to the hospital with the child, Barrister Ibimina Bara Kabaka, Mrs. Esther Randolph, Mrs. Vicky Ib Brown, and two members of the Finima Youth Congress (FYC) were there with us. What even attracted me that I started asking questions as I got close to the mom was this smell of urine. So, I asked somebody, and they said they raped the child in her anus and she’s been dripping faeces. The mother said that that was what happened. So, I said to confirm it and to help the child, let’s go to the hospital and that’s how we went. Several investigations were done and findings were made and I got a clear picture of what really happened.  Now, as we speak, we’re about taking the child to Doctors Without Borders in Port Harcourt. They’re specialists in rape cases but due to the lockdown there are certain modalities that need to be put in place.

Now, let me ask, you’re a girl, a woman, a mother, not just a mother but the mother of a girl-child, do you see this recurring incidents of rape, that is repeated abuse of the girl-child, do you see this as an indication that the girl-child is becoming an endangered species?

Yes, of course. The way God made us, the female is the most delicate creation. Normally, we are delicate, from the whole stress of menstruation, down to pregnancy, down to child birth; then it comes down to the fact that you’re like a prey. A particular set of people, men, boys have now made it a duty to hunt the females. It’s like, you know the way we dey go hunt crab, that’s what it is turning into now. As a woman, when I was growing up in Port Harcourt, as a child, there was a place they call ‘Colombia’, as a girl, we knew that at certain times you’re not supposed to pass through that road. I’ve talked to several people like three persons asking them that this prostitution you’re doing what’s the gain? And they’ll tell you things like ’my uncle has been raping me since when I was five years old’; some were from six years old. So, most of them grew up with that mentality like ‘let me just have sex for money’. Most of them are like ‘let me steal from this guy’.

I’ve seen movies and I’ve heard stories where, in saner societies, where a girl was raped as a child and if there is no proper and psychological guidance, she grows up and tends to kill men. She becomes a serial killer. She doesn’t want to have anything to do with men. So, what are we talking about? Some of the ladies who are grown up now turned up hating everything around them. It’s only a few of them that turn this little energy to something positive. You’ve heard about the various stories of rape and abuse and the story is that most of us here, when we cannot turn it to positive it becomes negative, I don’t know, it’s sad.

Now, talking about somebody fighting for the woman and looking at the way the society is, governments across the world, especially, political officeholders, swear to an oath to protect lives and properties. Now, seeing these incidents repeating themselves in most cases like you’ve referenced, and some of those involved are well-known to political leaders of different climes and we also have people who because of their positions of authority, either because they’re the boss to the woman or the girl, like in this case, this is somebody who is teaching the children and the children become relaxed in his presence and then he takes advantage of that to prey on them and because, from what I was told, he tried it first sometime in April this same year on an 8 year old and this is a 6 year old; you also know, not too long ago, the issue of a married woman, the wife of Timi Dakolo, that the person she is accusing of taking advantage of her when she was younger in age, up till now, the man is yet to be arraigned in court and he is still stepping on the pulpit to preach and we have cases like this. Do you think the relevant authorities – government and law enforcement agencies are doing enough to protect the girl-child, the girls and women?

Sincerely, I don’t think they’re doing enough. I don’t think they are doing enough. In this case, let me start with what has just happened. Like yesterday (Wednesday, June 1, 2020) the Vice Chairman of the local government, she is a woman. There was an IPO who was on that matter – I give credit to that guy – all through that night when I took the child to the hospital, he was with an escort who went with us down to Bonny. She was there with us while every investigation was being made. She was there up till yesterday, up till today. I just came back from the police station not too long ago. The DPO too, I just met him just once, he gave his all. He was really supportive. The Vice Chairman, the lady was really supportive. Apparently, she was there representing her boss, the Chairman, himself.

Now, I don’t think, generally, the government and others are doing enough. Let me even start with the police, normal, we know how Nigeria is. In Finima here or any other place, if there’s a rape case, you get to the police station. There have been cases. I’ve been with a friend who was raped – that was like seven years ago – and we went to the police and the first thing they asked us was “big girl like you, why did you go there? What did you wear?” And I’m like, I can’t imagine. That’s the first question you’ll get. “What are you looking for at his house?” You know that kind of a thing, nobody is thinking that irrespective of what you wear or what you were looking for a no means no. It’s crazy.

Ok, what was this child wearing, if it’s about what one is wearing?

Exactly. So, it’s crazy we have churches that will preach and instead of condemning rape outrightly, you begin to find blames on ‘why did you go to the brother’s house’ or what were you wearing?’ Fine, all of those things with morality and decency should be talked about but that’s not the cause of rape. We have societies, like the Muslim girls they wear hijab and they’re all covered. What is the motivation? Rape has nothing to do with all of these. I think the government has a lot to do. There has to be capital punishment, there has to be. I think that’s only thing that will work. Rape is a thing of the mind. Like this guy that committed this offence, it was planned. Rape does not just happen. So, rape does not just happen. You go out with the intent of raping. You don’t just see someone and rape them. No, it doesn’t just happen. If you invite the girl over, you already have what you want to do in your head. If you don’t have that, if the girl says no, no means no.

We have people in places of position do it, we have government officials, our brothers, our fathers, our friends, pastors, men of God, people we should trust. I have a friend who was raped by her pastor, a man she trusted, her parents entrusted her in his care and he raped her. Nobody said anything when she spoke up. They didn’t even believe her. So, we have people in power do this thing. I don’t think government is doing enough. Women, oftentimes, protest, I try, maybe, because I am in Bonny here, but several times, I try to be a part of it. Maybe by my voice or my finance, I know the effort I’ve made as an individual, quietly. But when I saw this one I was confused. The only thing that came to my mind was to take the child to the hospital. I knew I could talk to FIDA, there was human rights around, but I couldn’t do any of these. I was handicapped and she was a child. After the treatment on her yesterday, she still wanted to play even with the slight pain because she’s innocent unlike an adult, who will be withdrawn. She didn’t want people to touch her, she was apprehensive. So, imagine what’s going on through that child. I feel the government still needs to do more. They are trying but it’s not enough. I know of an incident, we were trying to pursue the case and the guy went behind and gave the parents money and that was the end of it. And I wanted to be part of it but they’ve already collected money. So, it’s sad. They’re trying but it’s not enough.