Osun Denies Planning to Castrate Rapists

Osun Denies Planning to Castrate Rapists.


Two principal officers of Osun State House of Assembly, Messrs Ipoola Binuyo, and Akin Taiwo, have said there is no bill before the legislature recommending castration for rapists.

Mr. Goke Butikakuro, the Press Secretary to the Speaker, Mr. Najeem Salaam, said in a telephone on Sunday, “I have spoken with Mr. Ipoola Binuyo, who is the Chief Whip of the House; and the Assistant Chief Whip, Mr. Akin Taiwo. They said there’s no such bill on molestation before the House or the recommendation of castration as penalty for molestation.”

While Ipoola represents Ife-North Constituency, Taiwo represents Ayedaade Constituency.

Meanwhile, the state Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Welfare, Mrs. Adetoun Adegboyega, has denied advocating castration for rapists.

Speaking with our correspondent in a telephone interview on Sunday evening, Adegboyega said she “only jokingly” said do men want to be castrated before they would stop Molesting children and women?’

She said, “It was all a joke which some people have decided to sensationalise. I was just answering a question on molestation at the ministerial news conference held at Government Secretariat, Abere, on Friday, when I jokingly asked if rapists want their ‘third leg’ to be caught off before they stop their inhuman act?”

Adegboyega said the bill on molestation before the Osun House of Assembly had reached the second reading, adding that the state government would use all legal means to protect children, women and the vulnerable from being sexually abused.

Right activists, Amitolu Shittu, Wahid Lawal, Abiodun Agboola, Rufus Oyatoro, in separate telephone interviews with our correspondent on Sunday spoke against molestation.

But they also said Osun could not afford to castrate rapists without adequate legislative backing.

Lawal said, “Osun is too sophisticated to engage in extra judicial actions against even the offenders. I want to believe that there is a misconception on the molestation issue.”

Agboola said, “No, that cannot happen in Osun. The government and people of Osun are too enlightened to allow that to happen. We cannot go back to the dark ages.”