The Ekiti State government has begun the public shaming of sex offenders in the State.
The government said it has started this move by making public a picture of an Anglican priest, Rev’d Asateru Gabriel, who was convicted of raping a seven-year-old girl.
A statement from the office of the state Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Wale Faphounda, on Monday, said the step was taken to discourage the obnoxious act following an increase in reported cases of sexual violence in the state.
The statement added, “The state government is concerned about the frequency of sexual violence. It has, therefore, become necessary to put in place proactive measures to halt the trend. One of these measures includes public notification of the status of convicted sex offenders by displaying their photographs via television and announcing their names on the radio.”
Rev. Gabriel, who became the first scapegoat of the state government campaign, was a former Anglican priest who was currently serving a five-year jail term at Government Prison in Ado Ekiti, the state capital.
His picture and identity had been displayed through the mass media to further establish the zero-tolerance stance of the Fayemi-led administration for violence against women and children.
According to the statement, other measures embarked upon by the state government include: posting of pictures of offenders in public places within their environment, compulsory psychiatric tests, uploading of their pictures on the state government’s official website among others.
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