Benin - At the Paediatrics Ward of the University of Benin teaching Hospital (UBTH), little Amina moved languidly from one end of the Ward to the other, playing with other children on admission, nurses and doctors on duty.

In fact, her innocent smiles and laughter seemed to be the tonic needed by the other children to get well. But little Amina, aged seven is a victim of circumstances. A man said to be her stepfather, who is now on the run after committing the dastardly act, raped her.

Little Amina is quite oblivious of her circumstances and what fate has in stock for her in the future. Born to a Malian father, who is now late, Amina who lived with her mother simply called, "Mama Abu" at the Ekosodin village, near the University of Benin made news recently, when her stepfather now at large enticed her with sweets and biscuits and defiled her.

After raping the girl, the stepfather warned her not to tell her mother or anyone else.But the worst was yet to come for Amina. Her mother on noticing bleedings from her private part and judging from the manner she walked, became vicious. She lacerated her body and private part with a razor blade and poured grounded pepper over her.

Vanguard gathered that it was the cry and screams from little Amina that attracted students of the University of Benin living at the Ekosodin village who came to her rescue. Shocked by what they saw, they took the little girl to the accident and emergency unit, University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) for treatment, before she was referred to the Paediatrics Ward, for further medical care and attention.

The students also ‘arrested’ Mama Abu (Amina’s mother), took her to the Bendel Development Property Authority (BDPA), Police Station in Ugbowo, area of Benin, for protection from the angry public who were bent on passing instant judgement on her.National Coordinator of Save Accident Victims of Nigeria (SAVAN), Dr. Eddy Ehikhamenor, who spoke to Vanguard on the issue, said kudos should be given to the students of the University of Benin for their heroic role in apprehending Amina’s mother. "We must commend the students of the University of Benin living at Ekosodin village.

They were actually the ones who physically arrested the woman, took her to the police with the little girl. From there, the police now brought the woman with the little girl, but because of fear of her being lynched or whatever, they took her in for protection in their station".

Dr. Ehikhamenor who since the admission of Amina has been providing for her daily needs, recalled a similar story of another little whose mother used pressing iron on her buttocks and poured pepper over her. Describing Amina’s fate as savagery, wicked and barbarous, an act, which he said stands condemned by all sane members of the society, he said, "you can imagine the dastardly act of a stepfather, raping the little girl and the mother taking a further step by cutting her private part with razor blade and pouring grounded pepper on her body"."This is an abomination and it must be condemned by all lovers of children and child survival in our society.

Our role as an NGO is to be with the victim and the very day she was brought to UBTH, we merely took the responsibility to make sure that the media was properly mobilized and sensitized. And we make sure that they beamed this little girl’s problem to the outside world and the response has been tremendous"."But the question we are asking is if this woman (Amina’s mother) is made to face the full weight of the law, what happens to her other little children? What happens to the baby whose is about three months ago and still breast feeding". "Do we have an organized welfare programme in this country that will cater for these children"?"That is the question that we are actually facing.

If the woman is sent to prisons, in her absence what happens to the other little children? So, the woman might just be left to the larger society and probably finds her way back to her children".But all hopes are not lost for little Amina.

Her agony and pains have attracted the attention of Prof. Friday Okonofua, the Executive Director and Founder of the Women’s Health and Action Research Centre (WHARC), who has agreed to take up her medical bill and sponsor her education.In an interview with Saturday Vanguard on while he took pity on little Amina, Prof. Okonofua said, "we want to take-over her schooling and education because this is a little girl that wants to go to school. And you can recognize that WHARC is promoting the social well-being of women.

This little girl is no exception."And now that her parents have abused her, some somebody must do something to assist her. If the government is interested in her case and welfare, they can do that, but before the government comes in, I will under take to take her to school"."I think that every child born in Nigeria has the fundamental human rights to aspire the highest in education. And since the little girl said that she wants to go to school, somebody must have to give her the opportunity to go to school. Certainly, I will do that".

Prof. Okonofua described the rape of Amina by her stepfather as an abnormal situation, insisting that if the man was eventually caught, he should be evaluated for a possible psychiatric problem. "I don’t think it is normal for a step-father to want to have sex with his step daughter. Certainly, this calls for medical observation. It is a sexual aberration".
 

ENCOUNTER WITH AMINA

Saturday Vanguard’s encounter with Amina was quite interesting and revealing. This was how it went:

What is your name?

Amina.

Where did you live?

We live at Ekosodin and I am seven years old".

Where is your father?My father is dead.

What is the name of your mother?

She is called Mama Abu.

What did she do?

She is a trader".

How did your stepfather rape you?

He put me between is legs, put his thing inside my body. I started to cry and he said that I should not tell my mama. Every time, he gives me sweets and biscuits and he said he likes me.Asked if she was well looked after in the hospital, she said, "I want to be like the nurses when I grow up. Am not in school because my Mama did not take me to school, but I like school. I want to be like the nurses here, I like their white uniform and they de take care of me".

One of the nurses who spoke on condition anonymity described Amina as a lively and sharp kid. "She plays with other children admitted here in the Ward and she is a bit rascally. We are doing everything to make her happy".

At the Police Juvenile and Women Centre situated at the Esigie Police Division, where Amina’s mother, (Mama Abu) was detained, efforts to speak to her on the motive behind perpetrating such heinous act on her daughter failed.

The Divisional Police Officer in charge of the centre, a woman who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Saturday Vanguard that Amina’s mother has been released on bail. She simply added that police has stepped up investigations into the matter.

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