The rape incidence that have occurred in the last few days have been shocking. I’ve got people asking why I have been quiet on the matter, well just so you know I haven’t. I have just been short of words, with confuse feelings and views. I actually do not want to write illogically with emotions running high and clouding my rationality. Well, I just realised that regardless of my emotions, the action of rape is intrinsically and extrinsically wrong. An immoral act that should really be looked into by the legal heads, the law makers and law keepers.

While people are advocating about justice for Uwa, a young lady of 22 years, who was raped in a Redeem Church in Benin and died afterwards few days ago; and another, Barakat who was raped to death recently in Akinyele, Moniya, Ibadan; The advocation against rape is for the future, for our kids, sisters, brothers, wives and husbands. It is not just a cry to be heard, but a cry to be worked on, for justice to be served and an example to be made, set out as a reference to immoral actions like rape, murder, bullying and a lot more indecent acts the society have ignored. But then, I sit on my bed and ask myself “can we ever attain justice?” What exactly is justice?

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According to Science Daily, “Justice is a concept of moral rightness based ethics, rationality, law, natural law, religion, equity and fairness, as well as the administration of the law, taking into account the inalienable and inborn rights of all human beings and citizens, the right of all people and individuals to equal protection before the law of their civil rights, without discrimination on the basis of race, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, color, ethnicity, religion, disability, age, wealth, or other characteristics, and is further regarded as being inclusive of social justice.”

In a community like Nigeria, where only the voices of the influential are heard, where power is the only stick to getting what you want, where the poor aren’t exactly humans but tools to getting the rich richer. I’d say the the meaning of Justice have been redefined. A country where majority of the police officers are too lazy and concerned about their pockets. A country with a government that would close eyes to the inappropriateness of a Senator towards a sales attendant or the hunger of citizens during the lockdown. Well the nation have obviously forgotten that Justice is the right of all people and individuals to equal protection before the law of their civil rights, without discrimination.

The Social Media is a good platform for voices to be heard and while people have different opinions and views; and some people are being tagged as rape apologists; would Uwa’s death and Barakat’s be forgotten in few days time after something else jams the media? Would you get carried away by another story forgetting all the advocacy against rape? Would your sense of Justice be clouded by another issue? Well, let’s assume that it wouldn’t, I then ask “is your voice like a baby’s tantrum to the government? A noise to be ignored and silenced with a nonchalant wave” Because I’m sure it were to be a Senator’s daughter who was raped, the culprits wouldn’t just be reading through the social media page like they are right now, they’d either be in jail or hiding in shivers. Or is the government happy that the citizens are focused on something else other than questioning the misappropriation of funds during the lockdown?