Nigeria governors declare state of emergency on rape

Bu our reporters| Following the rising incidents of rape cases in the country, the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) on Thursday declared a state of emergency on gender-based and sexual form of violence.

The governors who made the discloure via a communique at the end of the 10th COVID-19 teleconference meeting of the forum, condemned sexual and gender-based violence, while pledging to ensure that justice is served.

The forum equally urged members yet to implement laws against sexual and gender-based violence to do so in order to reduce sexual violence.

The communique read, “Governors have agreed to declare a State of Emergency on Sexual and Gender-based Violence. Governors strongly condemned all forms of violence against women and children and committed to ensuring that offenders face the maximum weight of the law.”

“Call on State Governors that have not already domesticated relevant gender-based protection laws to domesticate the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act, the Child Rights Act and the updated Penal Code to increase protection for women and children and ensure speedy investigation and prosecution of perpetrators in addition to creating a sex offenders register in each State to name and shame;

“Invite the Commissioners of Police to provide a detailed report on the actions taken to strengthen their response to sexual and gender-based violence through the Family Support Units and Force Gender Units at the State and Local Government levels;

“Governors will commit additional funding for the prevention and response to sexual and gender-based violence through appropriate Ministries, Departments and Agencies;

“Endorse the Communique of the meeting of the First Ladies in Nigeria which held on 7th June 2020 to evaluate and mobilize action to check the alarming rate of sexual violence against women and girls and indeed all forms of violence against women.”

There has been a recent waves of rapes and killings of women across the country, which have lead to national outcry.

Recently, Barakat Bello, an 18-year-old girl, was raped and murdered at her father’s house in Ibadan, Oyo state, shortly after Vera Omozuwa, a student of the University of Benin (UNIBEN), was raped and killed while reading inside a parish of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) in Edo state.