I Was Raped in a One-chance Bus - Rape Victims Narrate Their Ordeals

It is no longer news that rape is on the increase. What makes it so worrisome is the fact that underaged children are mostly the targets, As a result of the stigma attached to rape and sexual molestation, many victims don't come out to report the incidents.

 

Rapists mostly get away with their crimes as their victims find it difficult to summon courage to speak out due to the stigma tagged to rape victims in the society. However, some have had the courage to speak on their ordeal.

Below are some accounts of the victim's experiences in the hand of these beastly men:

'I had a daughter for my rapist' – C. A. (20 years old)

How did it happen?

"I met the guy while I was going to make my hair. He approached me, telling me that I wasn’t looking too good. He spoke to me as if he knew me. I told him I wasn’t feeling fine that I just wanted to make my hair. He offered to walk me down. We exchanged contacts thereafter.

He called me the second day to ask how I was feeling. After a couple of days, he called again. I was on my way to UNILAG to meet a friend. He said he was going to UNILAG also. That we should go together. I waited for him and we took a bus to UNILAG. When we got to Abule Oja, he said he wanted to see a friend that we should go together.

So, I followed him. We got to his friend’s place, he introduced him and the friend said he wanted to get him what he came to collect. That was how his friend left the house. The rapist went to buy me a drink. I declined but he started persuading me to drink it. I insisted I was not going to drink. I was surprised when he brought out a knife and insisted I should drink it.

I took the drink and that’s all. I woke up to realize that I had been raped and the guys were nowhere to be found"

Did you go for medical checkup?
No, I didn’t tell anybody. I was still a student when it happened. I just kept it to myself. I couldn’t say it out.

Why didn’t you tell anybody?
I was feeling bad because I felt I made a terrible mistake. I knew I didn’t act wisely. I couldn’t tell anybody.

What happened there after?
I became pregnant. I was writing my final year exam but I didn’t know I was pregnant. My friends noticed the changes in my body but I insisted there was nothing wrong. After I left school, I became sick and I was taken to the hospital. I had to do a pregnancy test. I didn’t even check the result of the test, I just collected it, took it home and gave my brother. He opened it and started abusing me, he told me I was pregnant. That was when I had to tell them what happened.

I wanted to get rid of the pregnancy but my mother stopped me. She had a dream that I passed on. My sister also had the same dream. So, I kept the pregnancy. I gave birth to a baby girl almost two years ago.

‘I was raped in one-chance encounter’ – C. O. (25 years old)

How did it happen?

"I entered a bus around Cappa, Oshodi. I was going to Mushin. It was quite early between 5 and 6 am. After kicking off, I realized, it was one chance (a booby trap). They collected all my belongings and raped me"

How many people in the bus?
I can’t really remember. I couldn’t differentiate who was who.

Did you tell anybody?
Yes, I told my friend about it but not immediately, like two weeks later. She advised me to go to hospital and I went. I had series of tests and it was confirmed that I was pregnant. I was advised to get rid of it since it was at its early stage. So, I did. What I am telling you happened like four years ago.

Rape cases should be taken very seriously because in Nigeria,  culprits don’t get prosecuted because the victim must prove she was raped. In most cases, the way prosecutors treat the case usually discourages the victims from going on with the case. Most of them drop the case along the way.