Minister of Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, on Tuesday disclosed that a total of 24,720 Gender-Based Violence (GBV) cases were reported across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) from September to October 3.
Kennedy-Ohanenye detailed this during a press briefing, addressing the prevalent issue of reported GBV, Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), and other harmful traditional practices in the country.
“We received reports of approximately 24,720 cases of various forms of violence reported across the 36 states and the FCT.”
”We also had 975 fatal cases, 1,505 cases that have been closed either at the court, community level, family, religious/traditional leaders or by the survivors themselves due to fear and intimidation.
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“Also, 8,540 open cases are still pending either at the police station or within the court, while only 306 were convicted and sentenced within the last four years across the country.”
While decrying the increasing figures, she urged stakeholders to urgently contribute towards eliminating the menace, which has become worrisome and affects the lives of citizens, particularly women and children.
The minister said that establishing mobile courts, especially in rural communities, will promote the rule of law and access to justice and enhance the criminal justice pathway to address violence against women and girls.
According to her, an ongoing investigation is in progress regarding the recent alleged molestation of a nine-year-old by her father, emphasizing the government’s dedication to ensure justice is served.
Additionally, the minister expressed concern about cases of mob violence and called for decisive measures to prevent such incidents and bring the perpetrators to justice.
