Some concerned Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have served a five-day ultimatum on the Ministers of Women Affairs and Education for them to take concrete action in fishing out the person who allegedly raped late 14-year old Keren-Happuch Aondodoo Akpagher, who was a boarding student of Premiere Academy, Lugbe, Abuja.
It was alleged that a condom was left inside the Late Keren after being raped which infected her with sepsis and spike her blood sugar that led to her death on June 22, 2021.
Keren’s mother, Vivivien Akpagher had filed a criminal complaint against Premiere Academy, Lugbe at the FCT Police Command having been told by Queens Clinic that her daughter had been raped and a condom left in her which infected her with sepsis.
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja on behalf of the CSOs, Alu Alege of Media, Health and Rights Initiative said she was dismayed by the conspiracy of silence and inaction exhibited by the Ministers of Women Affairs and her education counterpart over four months after the rape and death of Keren-Happuch.
Alege said; “The silence and inaction of both ministers, who have stature duties over safety of children and educational institution does not only amount to abdication of responsibility, it also incentivises and emboldens perpetrators of Sexual and Gender Based Violence.”
She explained that based on the silence and inaction of both ministers, 30 CSOs have therefore served the two ministers notices urging them to wake up and not shirk from their responsibilities but should take concrete action on the matter.
According to Alege; “We shall coordinate a nationwide protest against them and call for their removal,” adding that the notices of mass protest served on both ministers was signed on behalf of the coalition of 30 CSOs by Barrister Uzoma Aneto of Nde Oduko Foundation, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko of Human Rights
Writers Association (HURIWA), Edoamaowo Udeme of Network Against Domestic Violence Foundation, Alu Azege of Media, Health and Rights Initiative of Nigeria (MHRI), Hamba Simon Tersoo of All – 4-One Humanity Foundation and Lemmy Ughegbe of Men Against Rape Foundation.
The notice to the two ministers reads in part; “Madam, in a – 21st century, where countries are striving to contain the rising tide of Child Sexual Abuse and indeed Sexual and Gender Based Violence, we hold the considered view that your silence and inaction on the instant case serves an incentive for perpetrators of these acts of violence, who need to see you go beyond the optics and rhetoric to concrete actions.
“Suffice it to say bringing culprits and perpetrators to book are essential steps to curtailing the menace, which the Federal Government has itself since admitted is another pandemic of public and social health concern. Your silence and inaction in the case of Keren-Happuch Aondodoo Akpagher is not golden; instead it emboldens such perpetrators as they continue to evade justice,” she said.
