The House of Representatives at its plenary session on Wednesday, June 6, 2018 condemned the attempted rape and brutal attack on students of Methodist Girls Model Secondary School Ovim, Isuikwuato L.G.A, Abia State on Friday May 25,2018 and urged the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Person (NAPTIP) to conduct investigations into the incident with a view to bringing the criminals to book.
Presenting the motion on the floor of the House, Hon. Nkeiruka Onyejeocha (PDP:Abia) stated that the primary responsibility of government at all levels is to guarantee the security and well-being of all Nigerians including school children and most especially the girl child. She expressed concern that the girl child has unfortunately become, on an increasing basis, a target
of various forms of assault, attacks and abduction by terrorist groups and other criminal gangs in the country as witnessed in Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, Lagos State Model College, Igbonla, Epe, Turkish International School, Isheri, Ogun State, Babington Macaulay Junior Secondary School, Ikorodu, Lagos, and most recently, Government Girls Science and Technical College, Dapchi, Yobe State.
Speaking further, Hon. Onyejeocha stated that attempted rape and brutal attack on students of Methodist Girls Model Secondary School Ovim, Isuikwuato L.G.A, Abia State, after a gang of hoodlums invaded the School dormitory on Friday May 25, 2018 at about 2:00am and demanded that all the girls strip off their clothes in a bid to gang-rape them, She noted that the brave ones among them refused to succumb to the hoodlums’ demand which led to the brutal assault on some girls by the hoodlums with cutlasses, iron rods and other dangerous weapons. She stated that it was worrisome that over Fifteen (15) innocent school girls who ought to be at school learning ended up in the hospital with varying degrees of injuries sustained from the hoodlums on the eve of the Children’s Day celebration.
In addition, Hon. Onyejeocha said that the attack depicts the degree of evil among individuals and the depth of moral decadence that has pervaded society and expressed concern that the increasing rate of assault, attacks and abduction of school children, especially the girl child in Nigeria may result not only in psychological trauma for victims but possess the capacity, if unchecked, to negatively affect the educational development of the girl child, with attendant negative consequences for the country at large.
Hon. Onyejeocha also called on Government at all levels to rise up to the challenge of insecurity in the country and priortise the security of schools across the country in order to forestall the recurrence of these attacks. The House also mandated the Committee on Human Rights to ensure compliance
