Every week in Bauchi is pegged to ten rape cases, reports Sadiya Saleh, the Vice Chairperson of the Nigerian Bar Association.
Rape case in Bauchi State has been on the increase in recent times especially among underaged girl of ten (10). this made Bauchi State the hub of rape incidents. It is rather unfortunate that all effort to put an end to this mayhem remain futile. The law against rapists and the Violence Against Person Prohibition is like a word of encouragement to the perpetrators. In 2023, the people of Bauchi resorted to jungle justice by stoning two rapists to death, yet it does not deter others from perpetrating their evil act.
In furtherance, she reiterated that the case of Bauchi has surpassed all the northern states, including the Federal Capital Territory.
According to Saleh, “It is very high, and it is a very disturbing and alarming situation to have children of that age being raped in Bauchi State in such a way. They are kids; they don’t deserve that, and then it’s very disheartening for us. Bauchi has started implementing the VAPP Law because we’ve had cases where suspects have been sentenced to life imprisonment for rape cases even without confessional statements, so long as the victim will come to court and confess and identify the perpetrator and say, ‘yes, he raped me. I don’t know what is happening—that there is a rise in rape cases. That was why I said we need to create more awareness because it’s like the crime is going higher and higher even with the VAPP Law and Administration of Criminal Justice Law.” This was established in a workshop aimed at promoting gender sensitivity in the state on International Women’s Day.
The overarching goal of the legal system is to make society free of violence in all its manifestations, including but not limited to the following: to make victims as safe as possible, to punish those responsible, and to outlaw any and all forms of violence against individuals. As the saying goes, desperate time calls for desperate measures. The government and stakeholders are called upon to delve into the rising matter in the state since the passage and implementation of the Violence Against Persons Prohibition has failed.
This goes back to the case in
By Chidimma NWAFOR
