202 Gender Based Violence Cases Recorded In 20 Months In Bauchi – Police

Police in Bauchi State, Northeast Nigeria have recorded at least 202 cases of sex and gender-based violence in the state from Jan. 2020 to date.

Ahmed Wakil, police Public Relations Officer in the state, said the police also arrested a total of 326 suspected SGBV offenders in connection with the recorded crimes within the period under review. 

Wakil, a Superintendent of Police, revealed this at the opening of a five-day training for senior officers of the Nigeria Police and the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on Human Rights and Gender-based violence that took place at the Yankari Games Reserve in Bauchi State.  

The training was organised for the two security agencies by the Society for Family Health (SFH) in collaboration with the Bauchi State Agency for the Control of HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, Leprosy, and Malaria (BACATMA) as well as the Adamawa State Agency for the Control of AIDS. 

The police, according to the spokesperson, had in 2020 recorded 149 rape cases and other related offences and was able to arrest at least 257 suspects in connection with the cases. 

Worried by the rising trends of sex-related offences, he said the command intensified “fight against the menace” which led to the decrease in the number of reported cases this year.”

“So far, only 53 cases were recorded in the state and 69 suspected offenders were arrested in connection with the cases this year alone,” Wakil disclosed. 

The police said the drastic decrease in the number of cases this year was because of the intensive awareness creation and the command’s rigorous effort to prosecute offenders.

According to him, the command had set up an SGBV desk in all the Divisional Police headquarters as well as the four area commands in the state.

“We have also been able to enlighten the members of the public that a reported rape case becomes a case between the offender and the state, because it is a capital offence and unbailable. That awareness creation was one of the main reasons we had a reduced number of cases in the state.”

Meanwhile, Dr Jennifer Anyanti, the Deputy Managing Director, Society for Family Health, stated that the training, which was supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), was meant to educate senior law enforcement officers on human rights issues and gender-based violence so that they could professionally handle the violations.

Anyanti said the training became essential as law enforcement agents are also  stakeholders in the business of human rights protection. Nigeria is one of the 50 countries of the world where women and girls lack total security.