The Ekiti government has commenced the naming and shaming of convicted rapists in the state. Kayode Fayemi, governor of Ekiti, announced this in a twe
The Ekiti government has commenced the naming and shaming of convicted rapists in the state. Kayode Fayemi, governor of Ekiti, announced this in a tweet on Friday.
“Today, we commence the naming and shaming of convicted rapists in Ekiti State. #SayNotoRape. JKF,” Fayemi tweeted.
The tweet had a poster of one Asateru Gabriel, a convicted rapist who is already serving a five-year jail term in Ado-Ekiti prisons. The notice said Gabriel was convicted of sexually abusing a seven-year old girl.
“This person whose picture appears here is REV. ASATERU GABRIEL formerly of St. Andrew’s Anglican Church, Ifisin-Ekiti.He is currently serving a five-year prison sentence at the Federal Prisons, Ado-Ekiti for SEXUAL ABUSE AND EXPLOITATION OF A 7 (SEVEN) YEAR OLD GIRL. He has been registered in the Ekiti State Ministry of Justice Sex Offenders’ Register,” it read.
The state attorney general and commissioner for justice Wale Fapounda in March announced the measures at a press conference. He said the government will announce persons standing trial for the offence of child defilement who had issued a ‘case to answer’ legal advice by the director of public prosecution will undergo compulsory psychiatry test.
Other measures announced by Fapounda include pasting of photographs of convicted rapists in public spaces in their local government and uploading their photographs on the government website. He said the offenders’ names will be announced on the state-owned radio station and photographs will be on the state-owned television station to name and shame them.
The commissioner said other measures include aggressive prosecution of sex offenders, the opening of sex offenders register and disqualification from the prerogative of mercy appeared not sufficient enough to curb the scourge. He said the Dr Kayode Fayemi-led administration had a zero-tolerance for sexual violence and would do everything possible to protect women and children against the scourge, which is fast becoming rampant in the state.
Fapohunda, who noted that any sex offender who feels that the measures constitute a breach of his right can seek redress in a court of law, adding that the ‘victim-support strategy’ is within the provisions of the 1999 constitution as amended.
