From time immemorial, the instrumentality of consent has been in force in all endeavours of both men and women before the doing of a thing particularly. According to Merriam Webster Dictionary the word consent means.., “to give or express one’s approval (as to a proposal); also it can be defined as an agreement as to action or opinion; the collegiate noun definition according to the same dictionary above mentioned; “It is compliance in or approval of what is done or proposed by another.”[1]

Before any man or woman can do anything to the person of another, the tool called Consent is required.., as a matter of fact, legally, consent is a requirement that is highly needed,without which any actions, steps, moves, or ways taken to the demerits of another is illegal.

In a relationship, before either of the parties can do anything to another the tool of consent must be ‘seek and adequately granted’ before sexual intercourse can take place between a man and a woman, compliance or approval (consent) must be seek and granted “by the party who desires it to a party whom it is been desired from.” A healthy and sane without bane society is governed by this principle. If otherwise is done, then it is called Rape.

According to Merriam Webster Dictionary, Rape is “Unlawful sexual activity and usually sexual intercourse carried out forcibly or under threat of injury against a person’s will or with a person who is beneath a certain age or incapable of valid consent because of mental illness, mental deficiency, intoxication, unconsciousness, or deception.”[2] If an adult person either male or female has sexual intercourse with a minor even with consent; it’s still a rape because the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended regarded a minor to be a person under the age of 18 years. Also in the case of adult-to-adult beings, if sexual intercourse happened without consent from either of the party, it is still rape.

The term consent is so powerful to the extent that, that is what defines a man/woman that torchlight to the rest of the world that, anything done by him is birthed out of willingness. Sexual intercourse without consent has eaten deeply and sorrowfully into our society to wit, shamelessly boys, girls, women and men has fallen as a victims of rape and as a result of this unconstitutionally and unholy act, most of those victims has bid farewell to the mother earth prematurely (untimely); some their hope and aspiration has been scattered; some has become sudden mothers; some has lost their wombs; some has to pass through unwanted surgical operation in order to correct the damages done to the part of their body; some has not the gut to face the world due to stigmatization from the same society who had rift them of good living.

There is no two ways to this; before sexual intercourse can occur between a man and a woman notwithstanding whether they are in a relationship or not, consent must be seek and adequately granted. There shouldn’t be an excuse for the evil commission of the act of rape in our society.

The three (3) solutions to the issue of rape are as follows:

The society must regain her lost ethics of good standard ways of living where everyone is his or her brothers’ keepers and love reigns.
The Law enforcement agencies must always carried out their duty and responsibility of protecting lives and properties of her citizens without fear or favour. The Police must always be strong and bold to charge anyone suspected to have committed rape to the Court of Law.
The Judiciary through her seasoned Judges and Justices respectively expeditiously dispense speedily rape cases and sentence rape suspect if convicted to the appropriate jail terms without bias.
In conclusion, in the case of ISA V. STATE (2016) 6 NWLR (PT. 1508) 243, Per I. T. Muhammed J.S.C. posited that:

A rapist is worse than an animal. He has no moral rectitude. He throws overboard, the limit of his legal right and he can shamelessly deprive another person (more painfully, female children of under age) of their God given rights of protecting chastity and sanctity of their body and mind. He is all out to pollute such chastity and sanctity. He has no respect for human beings! He can commit any atrocity. He is a cancer in the society. What a shame!

The best that can happen to the victims of rape in the past and most recently, Vera Omozuwa in Edo State.., Barakat Bello in Oyo State (both of whom died from the assault and the 12 years old who was gang-raped at her house in Lagos State etc.[3] is for the culprits to face the full wrath of law and justice be done. History is watching!

THE POWER OF CONSENT IN COMBATING HUMAN ENEMY CALLED RAPE AND THE THREE (3) SOLUTION BY AYODELE SAMUEL ADEPITAN

08074584569; 08134524440

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REFERENCES:

“Consent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/consent. Accessed 7 Jun. 2020
“Rape.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rape. Accessed 7 Jun. 2020
premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/396342-rape-cases-increase-as-12-year-old-is-gang-raped-in-lagos.html Accessed 7 June, 2020.

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