Nigerian Singer Oluwaseun Anikulapo Kuti, popularly known as Seun Kuti, has recently shared his view on the issue of victim blaming in Nigeria.
He disclosed that a lot of reasons why people were afraid to speak up when they are sexually assaulted is because Nigerians have a tendency of blaming victims of sexual assault.
He gave an instance using the wife of Timi Dakolo who had come out some years back to cry out over sexual assault that she had encountered while she was growing up as a teenager. She had revealed how she had been raped by the pastor of Coza, Pastor Biodun. However, the reactions following her statement had been surprising.
“When this man was alive. He was sooo powerful that his criminal negligence according to state coroner in Lagos led to the death of 84 people and he didn’t spend one second in police station and you want some young women to come and do what?! When Timis wife came out, you all turned a married woman to a prostitute like magic! Thats why victims don’t speak up!! E du Betta, religious people!!”
A lot of netizens had taken to social media to slam her with some even revealing that she deserved it. Others had stated that she was lying and she was trying to tarnish the reputation and the name of a respectable man of God. Sean Kuti revealed that this particular behaviour which Nigerians exhibit is one of the reasons why most victims would rather die in silence.
His statement is made following all the controversies that have been surrounding the late TB Joshua in the past couple of days. Some days ago BBC had started a documentary detailing the traumatic experiences that so many women and children had passed through in the hands of the late TB Joshua.
The women had come out to cry out expressing that while they were working in the church with him that most of them had been raped, that even girls as little as 14 years had been sexually assaulted by him and that he had been able to get away with everything because he felt almost God like.
However, some Nigerians have taken to slamming them expressing doubts at their claims. However, Seun Kuti’s statements hints at the fact that most victims are scared to come out because they are hardly believed especially in a country like Nigeria.