– Raises concerns over growing cases of abduction, ritual killings
One of Nigeria’s leading Muslim women organisations, Al-Mu’minaat (The Believing Women) has called for an absolute end to the victimisation and bias against females in the society.
This was contained in a statement signed by the Coordinator, Al-Mu’minaat Social Advocacy Project (SAP), Hajiah Sherifah Yusuf-Ajibade in commemoration of the International Women’s Day 2022.
March 8 of every year has been set aside specially to commemorate the cultural, political, and socioeconomic achievements of women.
Muslim News findings revealed that the theme for 2022 International Women’s Day is #BreakingTheBias.
According to the statement, Hajiah Yusuf-Ajibade specially expressed her sadness over the murder of Miss Oluwabamise Ayanwole, who was recently kidnapped and murdered on her way from work.
“A young woman, Oluwabamise left work on Saturday March 5, 2022 but didn’t know she wasn’t going home to return to work ever again, no thanks to some callous devils in human skin. This must be forced to stop immediately and start to prosecute culprits! Traditionalist or whoever!
“The realisation that a young woman has been nipped at her prime, got this year’s International Women Day sad for me as a person. Oluwabamise was pursuing her dreams legitimately, but some systems allowed, albeit in disguise, some practices that perpetuating extra judicial killings!. Not long ago, a boyfriend beheaded his girlfriend!. What a time to be a woman!. Until we condemn and stop all these ritual killings, some other Oluwabamises are only waiting to be killed for rituals or in the name of tradition or money rituals. Women are half of humanity for crying out loud!
“Traditions that call for killings of humans or use of some human parts because a traditional ruler dies will only keep up passing this route time and again. This same tradition has encouraged cybercrimes, money ritual killings. In the name of tradition, people will be stopped from carrying out their legitimate life activities due to curfew imposed whenever a local king, an Oba, dies or some occultists are having their things. Whoever crosses their path may be on his journey of no return to the great beyond. All human lives are sacred, king’s or subject’s, man’s, woman’s or child’s”, she buttressed.
Justifying the theme for IWD 2022, she noted it is a means of motivating the women folk to stand against all forms of biases rampant in the society.
“#BreakTheBias is apt really as a theme for this year’s #IWD. Let each African country and her government bring to book all those who kill humans, especially women and girls. Break the bias against being a woman and achieving her life ambitions. Break the bias against thriving women. Break the bias against productive womanhood and perhaps then we’ll be on our way to eradicating violence against women truly. Break all biases and stereotypes working against women living her life to her satisfaction and self-actualization.”
The organisation further called on the government to bring the perpetrators of these evil acts to book and get justice for the victims.
“The Government is culpable in this crime too. The Executive Governor and others have sworn to uphold the Nigerian constitution, yet, looks away while this evil acts are being carried out. This encourages the killings to continue. We make pronouncements and condemnations, yet we do not apply the provisions of the constitution on such individuals or institutions who killothers for some barbaric crimes.
“The constitution prohibits extra-judicial killings, maiming etc. If rule of laws fails then what reigns is chaos and anarchy. Until the government criminalises, prosecutes and bring to justice all murderers, killing in the name of traditions, money rituals rites etc, this will continue till we are ready to the right things.
“Centuries back, women were good to be buried alive, shared as booty, properties or as part of legacies for heirs to use as it pleases them, including raping or killing as they deem satisfying. One would have expected that with advancements in all spheres of human endeavours, civilisation will come with civility and humans will value one another, but we threw the humanity in us to the winds and behave even worse than animals, for animals do not eat one of theirs”, she emphasised.
