Chris Otaigbe
At a time when the country is trying to recover from the rape and gruesome murder of two young women in Benin and Ibadan, Kano State is reported to have recorded 42 cases within a space of five months.
This was disclosed by the Kano State Police Command’s Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Abdullahi Haruna, who said the victims met their misfortune in the hands of randy rapists between the months of January and May, this year.
Speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), on Thursday in Kano, Haruna said the command investigated 42 alleged rape cases within the period, adding that the suspects had been charged to courts in the state.
According to him, statistical analysis of the cases indicated that 33.3% of the rape incidents were committed in uncompleted buildings, while 17.7% were executed at farmlands.
“15.6% in shops; 15.6% at the suspects’ residents and 8.9%in schools, while 6.7%t and 2.2% of the cases were committed at the victims’ residents and market places, respectively. The police are dealing with all reported rape and Gender-Based Violence (GBV) cases in the state,” he said.
Haruna noted that the number of rape cases had drastically dropped as against what was recorded within the same period last year.
While calling on the residents of the state to report cases of molestation and other forms of abuse to the police, Haruna reiterated the commitment of the command to address the menace.
The Kano Police spokesman added that keeping quite without reporting rape cases will, only serve to, encourage perpetrators to further commit the crime.
“Our doors are open for advice; in this era of community policing, the Command incorporates community problem-solving approach in handling issues in the state,” he concluded.
Kano’s disturbing statistics are included in the national figure of rape cases, which stands at 717 rapes cases within the same period, amounting to one rape every five hours.
According to the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Adamu, described rape as a serious and wicked offence and urged Nigerians to report any case, 799 suspects have been arrested and 631 appeared in court.
Some of the recent victims were allegedly murdered after being raped, prompting series of protests across Nigeria as Concerned Nigerians demand action from the authorities and communities.
As the IGP remains silent over sentences or number of convictions of these cases, worrisome is the discomforting fact that not many trials result in suspects
