Katsina children’s parliament decries sexual abuse, molestation

KATSINA State Children’s Parliament has lamented cases of sexual molestation of children by adults in parts of the state.

Speaking yesterday when he met with representatives of Save the Children International ( SCI) in Daura, the Speaker, Ibrahim Maharazu, described the issue as worrisome, urging stakeholders to put more effort in tackling it.

The Police Public Relations Officer ( PPRO) in the state, SP Gambo Isah, had, last month, lamented that the state recorded about 300 rape cases last year.

According to Isah, most of these cases had 14- year- olds and younger as victims, and other cases included 22 incidents of sodomy, mostly perpetrated by adults on children.

Special Adviser to Governor on Girl Child Education and Development, Amina Lawal, said her office got reports of rape from the 34 councils of the state daily.

Maharazu cited cases in Daura, his hometown, for which consultations were ongoing with SCI and other stakeholders to assist the victims.

His words: “There is a case of a 23- year- old man who raped a girl of 11. He went to the girl’s house with a bucket under the guise of wanting to fetch water. When he discovered that the parents of the girl were away, and that only two other sisters of the girl were at home, he proceeded to force her into a room and raped her.

“There is also a case of a rich man, who had homosexual relations with a youth in one of the communities in Daura. When the rich man was caught, he pleaded for leniency and promised to take care of the victim, to meet his immediate and future needs. Sadly, the man has been known to be into such acts in the past, and he was once asked to leave Daura by the Emir. It seems he secretly came back to continue his lifestyle.”

THE Newspapers and Magazines Distributors Association of Nigeria ( NDAN) has asked media houses and government should collaborate with them in gathering data and carrying out their duties.

The association also urged them to provide an enabling environment for distributors and vendors.

Chairman of NDAN, Lagos Island Zone, Godwin Akpan, who made the requests during his swearing- in ceremony at the weekend, further said that the government should empower and educate distributors and ven - dors in their operations and reduce the cost of newspa - pers and magazines production, especially newsprint so that the cover prices could also come down for people to be able to afford it.

He also asked government and media houses to provide insurance cover for vendors in case of accident.