Nkem Joan Dike
A Rotarian and executive director Women in Action National Development Nkem Joan Dike says all women including prostitutes have the right to live and so must be protected.
She was reacting to a statement by a police officer on the radio in the heat of the serial killings of girls in Rivers State claiming that the victims of the serial killings were prostitutes.
Voicing the objection of women to that thinking, Nkem Joan Dike, who, was part of the women protest against killings in Rivers State in a brief chat with National Point expressed disappointment that a law enforcement officer should utter that statement and in public.
“We are here today to show solidarity with our fellow women who have been killed in recent times, a lot of them, one killing too many. This is 12, one is as important as 12, is the human life we are talking about here. Women are humans, they are not less than humans so this has to stop; this killing has to stop.
“I learnt from a radio station, a police man making one kind of statement that I don’t expect from a security agent. They are supposed to protect lives and properties and women are humans, women are part of lives, women are givers of life. They deserve to be protected. This is what came into me, so many things about the girls- they are prostitutes and so what? If they are prostitutes, they deserve to live.
“You had a bargain with somebody: “Sex,” I will give you money; you both agreed. The agreement is not sex for killing, it is not to be murdered. Is it that when they start killing people coming from church, that police will start reacting? This is unbecoming. This is uncalled for and this is hypocrisy at the highest level.
“What I heard is so discouraging coming out from the mouth of a police security agent. I know we have some good heads in police force and then these few ones can just come out and make statement that are uncalled for”, stressed.
A coalition of 77 women groups including female lawyers, journalists and male champions had staged a mammoth protest against the serial killings that took no less than 15 lives in Port Harcourt drawing attention to heightened vulnerability of women and girls in Rivers State.
The CP had as a preventive measure, directed all hotels, guest houses and motels to within one month, install Circuit Camera Television, CCTV in their facilities as well as strict compliance with check-in, check-out procedures with warning of sanctions for defaulters, including sealing of premises. A task force was also set up.
Happily, the killings have gone down.
Meanwhile, Rivers State people are expecting to hear more from the Police Command especially as Favour David West was arrested almost after the demonstrations and he has confessed to being responsible for some of the killings.
