Location: Mathew’s shop, off Opebi Boulevard.

I was struck by her beauty and innocence. She was fair skinned, had neatly groomed hair, even after the long school hours, her pair of white socks and green uniform were still quite clean. There was obvious happiness in her eyes and she had a beautiful wide smile on her face. All four guys in the shop turned to greet her and ask about her day at school. She paid them each courtesy on bent knees as she went round, finally stopping at Mathew’s (my tailor) machine. He asked if her mother was around and she answered no and promptly skipped out of the shop. Because of the apparent fondness between the four men in shop and the little girl, I jumped to the conclusion that she must be my tailor’s daughter.

Trust me, I could not help but confirm my thoughts. “Is that your daughter”, I asked? “No”, he answered, “her mother also has a shop on this block”. For me, something was not right here. I decided not to drop it. “Is she related to anyone in this shop then”? “No oh”, he answered with a chuckle. “Then why did she come here to greet you people?    I asked? “That is how she comes around to greet everyone”, he informed me. “Everyone”, I asked, bewildered? My mind spun into alarm mode and several questions began racing round my head.

Rape

I could not help but share them with the guys. Does this little girl’s mother know about this everyday greeting session embarked upon by her daughter? If so, how can a mother leave a small girl like that on her own, to go into a shop where you have four men to greet them? Is she not aware of what is now happening to little children in Nigeria these days? Does she not read newspapers or listen to the radio or watch television? Is it possible that this woman has never heard stories of how little girls are being sexually abused or raped in our societies these days? If she has, is she not terrified of the stories or afraid that such can happen to her daughter?    The little girl might be oblivious of the wicked and treacherous world she lives in and the danger that lurks around her, every day, but her mother ought to know. This child might have no idea that she has become a target of the evil that has now taken hold of some Nigerian males like a deadly fever, and that by her unrestrained movements, she was strategically placing herself in line for sexual abuse and rape, but her mother ought to be wiser.

As if to support my ranting, my tailor informed me that I was right. He announced that such an incident occurred in the neighbourhood, a few months back and that the matter was still in court.    From this point, the discussion became more heated. All four of them began chipping in their contribution of what transpired in the rape incidence. The victim was two years old while the accused was 54 years old. To add salt into injury, the man was granted bail and has been walking free in the neighbourhood ever since.

They all believe that he would walk free at the end of the case. So, since such a thing had already occurred in the neighbourhood, why is this mother letting her child on the loose? Is it possible that she has not learnt any lesson from the incident or she does not care enough about her child’s safety?    “Well, aunty, you are right, but not everyone thinks like you are doing. Most people believe that bad things cannot happen to them. They also believe that those it happened to were either not as smart as them or that it is their destiny”, Mathew said. “Really, why would anyone think like that”, I asked? Anyways, you people are men, what we are hearing these days is alarming.

There is hardly not one day that passes by without one hearing one bizarre story or another about little children being molested by adults. Didn’t we all grow up in this country? Many of us grew up running around naked in the rains and no one heard about such evil crimes being perpetuated against children. Excuses often cited for raping young ladies and women are sexual provocation, indecent dressing/exposure or the no-means-yes syndrome, are little children also guilty of these? Jimmy, the second older guy was quick to provide answers to my questions.

“Madam, most of them are for spiritual purposes oh. The old men raping infants and little children are using them for spiritual purposes. It could be to renew their age, also known as long life, or cure them from some form of disease or for money rituals. It depends on what the old men are looking for, after all, what kind of enjoyment can one get from a small toddler? Again, madam, whether we accept it or not, the internet has done more harm to Nigeria than good. All these things we are talking about are available on the internet and are accessible by almost everybody who can afford to buy internet plan. All the sexual deviancies that were alien to our culture have been learnt on the internet and are now being practiced by our people. And like the case we just told you that happened here, once nothing is done to bring justice to the victims, then more people join knowing they can get away with it too. For me, such men ought to pay with their lives, not jail terms.”

Suppose we accepts as facts the excuses proffered above for    those sexual abuse and rape of little infants and young children, what can we attribute the rise of incest in our society to? I read a newspaper report a couple of months ago that a father who was reportedly having an incestuous relationship with his daughter justified his actions by insisting he was practicing safe sex with her and could therefore not impregnate or harm her in any way! He stated that he was being careful and practicing the withdrawal method! Again, Jimmy insisted there is a spiritual twist to this as well.

He said it was for money making ritual. I have strong doubts that all the culprits I have read about did not appear rich or affluent in any way to me. But Mathew, my tailor declared they are all signs of a morally depraved society and ultimately of the end times. He went on to give a long list of the things happening now which hitherto were strange to our culture.

Our insatiable desire for wealth and a lack of moral and societal value have caused us to unleash these wanton atrocities and destruction upon ourselves. People want to get rich quick by all means possible because they want to “arrive” or “feel among” and the society has no interest in asking questions. Thus, a 16 year old boy could capture and gut a 4 year of child because a chief promised him N50,000 for it. He mentioned a wrist watch and pair of jeans as part of the items he wanted to buy with the money. As the conversation drifted towards religion and end time, Samson, the young apprentice brought us back to focus. “Okay mummy, what is responsible for gang rape? That is what young boys are doing now oh” he declared. Mathew insisted it is still one of the signs while the rest of us agreed that our society has become too sexually exposed indeed.