#ArewaMeToo, a Northern activist group otherwise known as the North Normal Group, that champions the global spill over of the #MeToo movement that beg
#ArewaMeToo, a Northern activist group otherwise known as the North Normal Group, that champions the global spill over of the #MeToo movement that began in the United States, have condemned Bello, one of Kaduna State governor, Nasir El Rufai’s sons, who threatened to gang rape his critic’s mum.
Bello had in the heat of an argument with a social media user known as Consigliere otherwise known as ‘OEWonah’ over who has shown better leadership in the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic between US president, Donald Trump and a few Nigerian governors, threatened to gang rape Consigliere’s mother and pass her on to his friends for further molestation.
In a statement, the Northern group expressed shock at the sexist and violent threats made by Bello and endorsed by his mother, the first lady, Hadiza Isma-El Rufai. It said that the obscene words used by Bello are representative of the ways women’s bodies have been used as a site for war and revenge even in conflicts that doesn’t concern them, having been perceived from time immemorial, as a lesser body and a more accessible tool and object to settle squabbles.
According to the group, Bello’s comments are the mainstream attitude of violent men towards women and must be condemned in its entirety as it is the very foundation of gender and sexual based violence.
The group not only called for a retraction and a public apology from Bello, it also called for his prosecution in line with his threats being a violation of section 23 of the Cybercrime Act 2015.
It also wondered at the rationale behind Bello’s mother Hadiza’s endorsement of her son’s threats especially because she is the First Lady of the state as well as the head of the Kaduna State Sexual Assault Task Force and questioned her competence to chair a panel seeking to fight sexual assault.
For this, the group has asked her to issue a public apology while calling for her immediate resignation from the task force. It also asked all well meaning Nigerians to join in the fight to condemn Bello and his mother’s behaviour.
