The Nigerian social media space was flung into a frenzy of jubilation on Wednesday when Olufunmilayo Ogunsanya, a popular Nigerian doctor in the UK, was absolved of sexual misconduct allegations.
It all started in 2020, when Bolanle Aseyan, a medical doctor and Ogunsanya’s ex-girlfriend, accused him of inappropriate conduct and emotional abuse.
She filed charges against Ogunsanya with the Nigerian and UK police and the UK General Medical Council (GMC), but each agency declared him innocent, thus clearing his name from the records of Nigerian men linked with sexual offences.
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Dr Ogunsanya is not the first Nigerian who has been under fire for alleged rape. With numerous rape cases involving minors and adults, the country has had its share of rapists. While a few were acquitted, others were found guilty.
It is important to note that the number of men convicted for rape in Nigeria remains alarmingly low. From fear of social stigma to prolonged court trials and fear of poor prosecution, many survivors would rather nurse their pain in silence than speak out.
In December 2022, Pauline Tallen, the immediate past Minister of Women Affairs, said Nigeria had over 11,000 rape cases but only 33 culprits had been convicted.
As of 2020, the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) had only convicted 396 persons within the 16 years of its inception for offences ranging from human trafficking, sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and rape to child labour and child abuse.
Similarly, the sexual offender records found on NAPTIP’s website this year showed 269 convictions for sexual offences while 998 cases are still in court. It is crucial to note that these offences are not limited to rape alone.
Sexual offenders records as seen on NAPTIP
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Below, FIJ goes back in time to identify some Nigerians who were accused and found guilty of rape.
BALA WADZANI CHINDA (2017)
In 2017, Bala Wadzani Chinda, the son of a Nigerian diplomat, was found guilty of the rape and murder of a 37-year-old in Aberdeen, United Kingdom.
BBC reported that a High Court in Aberdeen jailed him for life, with a minimum term of 18 years.
Chinda
KUFRE UMOH UWEM (2018)
Kufre Umoh Uwem, a 34-year-old oil and gas engineer, got seven years jail term in 2018 for raping an 18-year-old student in Aberdeen.
Uwem was said to have held the woman against her will at his flat, removed her clothing and raped her. He was also convicted of intending to rape another woman in her own flat.
Uwem
SOLA WARIKWAH (2020)
Sola Warikwah, a 39-year-old Nigerian security guard in London, was jailed in 2020 for rape.
Reports reveal that Warikwah raped a woman who mistook his car for her pre-booked cab. He was brought before the Southwark Crown Court and was jailed for seven years.
Sola Warikwah
JEFFERY OVIASOGIE (2022)
A High Court in Glasgow jailed Jeffery Oviasogie for four years and eight months in 2022. He had been living in the UK since 2018.
He was convicted of attacking and raping a 29-year-old woman who was on her way home in Aberdeen the previous year, the BBC reported.
FIJ found that his name was entered into the sex offenders database in the UK.
Oviasogie as seen on the sex offenders database
BABA IJESHA (2022)
An Ikeja Special Offences Court sentenced Olanrewaju James, a Nollywood actor, to 16 years for sexually assaulting a minor.
James, popularly called Baba Ijesha, was convicted of indecent treatment of a child, sexual assault and attempted sexual assault which occurred between 2013 and 2014.
Baba Ijesha
UTSEORITSELAJU UWATSE (2023)
This year, an Irish court jailed Utseoritselaju Uwatse, a 25-year-old former Nigerian model, for rape.
Uwatse was sentenced to four years for raping his fellow college student.
Utseoritselaju Uwatse
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Meanwhile, in May 2023, the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (DSVA) released details of three sex convicts, whose names have been included in the sexual offender register.
The men, Idowu Daniel, Moses Joseph Olawale, and Akin Isaac, were respectively convicted of sexual assault, sexual assault by penetration and defilement.
Each of the trio bagged jail terms ranging from seven to 37 years. Details can be found here.
The post FLASHBACK: Baba Ijesha, Bala Chinda… Top 6 Nigerians Convicted of Sexual Offences in Last 6 Years appeared first on Foundation For Investigative Journalism.