Nation
Group Wants Justice For Rape Victims
A group, the Veteran Organisation for Human Rights (VOHR), has expressed concern over the prevalent cases of sexual molestation in the country and called for prompt justice for victims.
President of the group, Mr Tunde Badmus, who said this in a statement in Osogbo, expressed displeasure over a rape incident in Abayomi Area in Ibadan, Oyo State capital.
Badmus said issues of sexual defilement and domestic violence in the country were getting out of hand, saying, “it is necessary that government takes drastic solution to ensure such heinous acts are curtailed”.
He described as unacceptable to the organisation, the attack on an innocent young woman wearing purdah outfit, allegedly raped, assaulted, and looted at Abayomi Area in Iwo Road, Ibadan and alleged subsequent attempt to cover up the ugly incident.
He alleged that the perpetrator’s parents were well known, adding that several attempts to cover up the morally repugnant and immorally obvious act were ongoing.
“We want the whole world and other human right bodies to know about this incident in order to ensure the victim gets deserving justice,” he said.
Badmus said that a popular Islamic scholar, Sheikh Sulayman Amubieya, recently held peace walk protest to demand justice for the rape victim.
“It is imperative to clear the persistent rumour that the popular Ibadan-based Islamic scholar, Sheikh Sulayman Amubieya held a protest.
“It was a peaceful walk to press home his grieviances over the incident,” Badmus added.
The group President called for more awareness, education and advocacy as being necessary, not only for children to differentiate between the right and wrong, but to youths across all levels .
He said such evil act was indecent and morally demeaning for a right-thinking person to forcefully rape someone without her consent.
The Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) has commemorated the 15th anniversary of the release of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Environmental Assessment Report on Ogoniland, reaffirming its commitment to restoring the environment and improving the livelihoods of affected communities.
In a statement signed by the Project Coordinator, Prof Nenibarini Zabbey, to commemorate the anniversary, HYPREP described the anniversary as a significant milestone in Nigeria’s environmental restoration efforts, noting that the project has made remarkable progress in implementing the recommendations of the landmark UNEP report released on August 4, 2011.
The UNEP report had revealed extensive oil pollution across Ogoniland, severe environmental degradation, and serious public health risks resulting from decades of petroleum operations. It also recommended an initial $1 billion fund to commence the cleanup of the affected communities.
According to HYPREP, the Federal Government formally launched the Ogoni clean-up in 2016, while the Project Coordination Office was established in 2017 to drive the implementation of UNEP’s recommendations.
Zabbey said the current administration has continued to prioritise the project under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
Providing an update on the cleanup, the Project Coordinator disclosed that 30 of the 65 contaminated sites identified by UNEP have been fully remediated, while work is ongoing at several medium- and high-risk locations. It also stated that more than 1.5 million mangrove seedlings have been planted as part of what it described as the world’s largest restoration of oil-degraded mangroves, with over 1,000 hectares of shoreline already rehabilitated.
Zabbey further revealed that 49 Ogoni communities have been connected to potable water schemes through multiple water projects and booster stations aimed at providing safe drinking water across the region.
In the health sector, he said the 100-bed Ogoni Specialist Hospital in Kpite and the 43-bed Cottage Hospital in Buan are nearing completion, adding that several existing health facilities have been upgraded with modern medical equipment, while five ambulances have been donated to improve emergency healthcare services. The Project Coordinator also disclosed that a three-year human health biomonitoring study is being conducted in collaboration with the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).
On economic empowerment, Zabbey stated that the Project has created more than 8,000 direct jobs and trained thousands of Ogoni youths and women in various vocational and technical skills, including software development, cybersecurity, aviation, commercial diving, seafaring, mechatronics, and creative arts. The project also reported awarding scholarships to more than 1,000 students, providing grants to small businesses, and supporting persons living with special needs through skills acquisition programmes.
The statement further highlighted ongoing legacy projects, including the Ogoni Power Project and the Centre of Excellence for Environmental Restoration, which it said is about 96 per cent complete. HYPREP also welcomed the recent designation of the Ogoni Wetland as a Ramsar Site of International Importance and pledged to continue promoting biodiversity conservation and sustainable management of the ecosystem.
Marking the anniversary, Zabbey said the progress achieved over the past 15 years demonstrates the collective commitment of government, development partners, stakeholders, and local communities to restoring Ogoniland. He called for renewed collaboration to sustain the cleanup effort, promote environmental sustainability, and support the long-term development of the region. 3