The Deji of Akure Kingdom, Oba Aladelusi Aladetoyinbo, has called on the government to punish rapist with life imprisonment.
The monarch also asked rape suspects in the community to be brought to his palace to drink traditional water before handing them over to the police.
According to him, the water is laced with curses that will catch up with the suspects if they are actually culpable.
Oba Aladetoyinbo stated this in his palace before the commencement of a programme tagged, “A Walk Against Rape” in Akure, the state capital.
The event was organised by the Office of the Wife of the Ondo State Governor, Mrs Betty Akeredolu, in collaboration with some non-governmental organisations in the state.
The monarch, who expressed worry over the spate of rape cases in the state, said the incident had reached an alarming level,and there was a need for all stakeholders to checkmate it.
The monarch said the institution was ready to introduce traditional punishment to whoever was caught in the act of rape.
According to him “Bring any person suspected of rape to the palace. We have special water that we shall give to the suspect. Once the person drinks the water, the curse shall be on him for life.
“You don’t have to catch the person in action. Once you suspect anybody, we shall make him drink the water before we hand him over to the police for proper action. I am also advocating that rapists should be sentenced to life imprisonment.”