Rapists should be sentenced to death - Tonto Dikeh

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Tonto Dikeh

Tonto Dikeh
Tonto Dikeh

By Taiwo Okanlawon

Nollywood actress, Tonto Dikeh, has recommended that rapists should be sentenced to death either by hanging, firing squad, lethal injection, or electrocution.

The award-winning actress made this recommendation in an interview with The Punch, following the alleged sexual assault of a minor by another Nollywood actor, Olarenwaju James, aka Baba Ijesha.

Baba Ijesha, 48, was arrested by the Lagos State Police Command for allegedly defiling a 14-year-old girl.

Celebrities, including Iyabo Ojo, Mercy Aigbe, Adekanya, Amusa, among others, have expressed their displeasure over their colleague, Olarenwaju James, aka Baba Ijesha, alleged sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl under the care of comedienne, Adekola Adekanya, aka Princess.

In an Instagram post, Dikeh had said if the allegations are true, she hopes the Yoruba movie actor rot in jail.

However, speaking in an interview, Tonto Dikeh said that rapists should either face the death penalty or be castrated.

According to her, many find it hard to report their victims to appropriate authorities as they are most times blamed, stigmatised, and humiliated by society.

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In her words: “In Nigeria, cases of rape are fast assuming a threatening dimension that requires urgent intervention. Rape, like other forms of violence against women, is an infringement on women’s rights, privacy, self-preservation and dignity.

“There is little or no policy or law that protects the victims as they are most times blamed, stigmatised and humiliated by society if it is brought to the public domain. This hinders victims from embracing a mindset of reporting such an inhumane crime to the appropriate authorities.

“I believe that any person found guilty of rape should be sentenced to death either by hanging, firing squad, lethal injection or electrocution. I would also recommend castration.

“Rape cases and sexual molestations have become the order of the day, and the victims are not getting enough justice. Most of these perpetrators still walk freely.”

The mother of one also urged victims to be vocal about their plights.

She added: “Yes, we can eradicate rape and work towards zero tolerance. Firstly, we need to speak out against the root causes.

“Rape culture festers when we buy into ideas of masculinity that see violence and dominance as ‘strong’ and ‘manly’, and when women and girls are less valued. It is also underpinned by victim-blaming—an attitude that suggests a victim, rather than the perpetrator, bears responsibility for an assault.

“When discussing cases of sexual violence, a victim’s sobriety, clothes and sexuality are irrelevant. Instead, we need to counter the idea that men and boys must obtain power through violence and question the notion of sex as an entitlement. The law on rape should be amended and its definition expanded,” she said.

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