United Traders Association, UTA, comprising market women in Anambra state, has condemned the increase in rape cases in the country, urging the government to enact law making the crime or offence, punishable by death.
The women traders made their feelings known on Wednesday, this week, when they carried their peaceful protests to the State House of Assembly, State Police Command Headquarters, the Government House and other places.
They argued that such penalty would help check sexual related offences which, they noted, are seriously eating deep into the fabrics of the country.
The group’s National President, Mrs Nkiru Duru, addressing the various authorities, lamented that victims of rape, their friends and families often suffer permanent social and psychological trauma that harm the entire social system.
They said market women as mothers, want governments at all level, security agencies and other relevant authorities to take more proactive measures to end rape in Nigeria.
Also speaking, the UTA Public Relations Officer, Mrs Nkiru Nwagbo, while soliciting media support to the campaign against rape and violence against women, urged men to join in the crusade with a view to checking the menace.
Receiving the women at the Anambra State House of Assembly complex, the Deputy Speaker, Honourable Paschal Agbodike, said the 7th Assembly would never relent in it efforts to safeguard the populace from such crimes as rape as well as other gender based violence.
Also, the State Police Headquarters, the Police Public Relations Officer, Mr Haruna Muhammed, who received the women on behalf of the Police Commissioner, Mr John Abang, called for more campaign against rape, lamenting the rampant cases of rape in the state.
According to Haruna between January 2020 and Date, the Command has recorded 20 cases of Rape out of which 15 cases were charged to Court and still on trial, 21suspects arrested and 5 cases still under investigation.
