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Police record 717 rape cases in five months, IGP updates Buhari

Clement Daniel with Agency report
Clement Daniel with Agency report
I-G orders arrest, prosecution of perpetrators of Imo attack
Inspector General of Police, Adamu

No fewer than 717 rape cases have been recorded by the police in the country in the last five months.

The Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, made this known on Monday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari.

He said 799 suspects had been arrested and 631 cases conclusively investigated and charged to court.

The police boss said 52 cases were still under investigation.

Adamu who spoke with journalists said he updated the president on sexual and gender-based violence across the country and the efforts of the Police towards addressing the menace.

Said he:  “It has come to the public knowledge now that because of the COVID-19 restrictions, we have surge in cases of rape and gender-based violence.

“These are cases that are now coming up but we want to let members of the public know that, rape and gender based violence have been there.

“The law enforcement agents have been dealing with these cases, in most cases, members of the public are not aware of the actions that the law enforcement agents have been taking.’’

He appealed to all Nigerians to speak up against cases of rape or any form of molestation, as the Force would continue to deal decisively with such cases promptly.

He said: “I will call on every Nigerian that comes across any victim of sexual offences, rape or gender-based violence to quickly report to law enforcement agents because keeping quiet without reporting it, will give room for the perpetrators to continue to commit the offences.

“It is a very wicked offence, it is wicked of an individual to engage in rape or defilement and there are a lot of reasons for that, some are doing it for ritual purposes and some are doing it because  they sit within the family and they see the victims and have the urge to go into it. Such people should not be allowed to go scot free.’’

According to the police boss, government is going into partnership with all stakeholders within West Africa, to tackle the menace.

“From now onward, national partnership with every stakeholder is what we are going into now and not only within the country but within the sub-region.

“We have to partner with organisations that are involved in this. We know we have been working seriously with United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and other civil society organizations,” he said.

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