Ondo Youths Protest, Demand Stiffer Punishment For Rape

A group of youths on Friday stormed the streets of Akure, the Ondo State capital in protest against the recent rise in cases of rape in the country.

The youths who were dressed in black and carrying placards with various inscriptions called for justice and stiffer punishment for rapists.

Some of the inscriptions on their placards read: ‘no justification for rape’, ‘real men don’t rape’, ‘no to female brutalisation,’ and ‘end violence against women’.

This followed a series of reports of rape and defilement of minors in the last few weeks in parts of the country.

One of the protesters who spoke with Channels Television, Tolulope Akinfiresoye, decried the increase in the rate at which such crimes were committed.

She appealed to the government at various levels to take the issue of rape seriously by ensuring offenders do not escape justice, to serve as a deterrent to other offenders.

Akinfiresoye, however, called on girls and women to always dress properly to prevent them from getting attracted to rapists.

Another protester, Ayanfe Adeyemi, called for the creation of awareness on the dangers and consequences of rape in the society.

He insisted that indecent dressing by some ladies was not an excuse to be raped as people should learn to control their sexual desire.

On his part, Joshua Ogunmola was of the opinion that anyone found to have committed rape should be castrated, saying this would definitely put an end to the heinous act in the society.