Online video of woman being gang raped triggers anger

Nigeria, Sept 22: A video circulated on the internet where a woman is seen repeatedly being raped by attackers has triggered anger in Nigeria. The video showed the woman being raped in turns despite her repeated pleas to kill her.

In a grainy video posted online, the attackers take turns as they rape the woman at a university dormitory as the woman asks them to kill her. The five men promise to drive her home only to push her back down each time she tries to stand up.

The video has been dismissed by authorities, while the youth minister of Nigeria has asked for the prosecution of the men. Perturbed by the video, internet users have even offered reward in case of information.

According to activists in Nigeria, the video throws light on the under reported rape in the country and they are even planning to hold a march to draw attention over the issue.

"The perpetrators go further to record it and circulate it. It shows for me that they're daring society to take action on it," said Josephine Effah-Chukwuma, executive director, Project Alert, Nigerian women's rights group.

"It shows that there's a high level of impunity," said Josephine.

The video has been doing the rounds on the campus of Abia State University for weeks and appears to have been shot in a students hostel or single room dormitory. As the men in the video take turns to rape the victim, the woman repeatedly ask to go home. "Please just kill me," she cries while the men laugh in the video.

A statement has been issued by Bolaji Abdullahi, Nigeria's Youth Minister calling for the police and the university that the men shown in the video be prosecuted and also extending assistance to the victim in the video.

"The attitude of these men, if indeed they are young Nigerians, does not represent the character and nature of the Nigerian youth," the minister said.

The authenticity of the video is however questionable with the university and the state government denying the fact that the video was shot in the university premises.

Geoffrey Ogbonna, Abia state police spokesperson said that the university reported no such rape case adding that the video was only searched after it was heard of.

"From the look of things, I don't think such a thing happened," he said adding, "All I know is that state command is not aware of such an incident."

According to Federal police statistics on Nigeria Police Watch website, rape is seldom reported as only 1,952 cases were reported in 2009.

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