The 36 state governors of Nigerian states have colluded and officially instated an inter-state decree defining a state of emergency in the area on rape as series of sexual violence against women have reached crisis level, according to the Nigerian Governor’s Forum (NGF).
The forum has come up with drastic measures to combat the jarring reality Nigeria is facing, calling all states to make the sex offenders’ register and advocating for the instating of two federal laws which will increase punishment for rape and violence in women and children.
The forum has also been briefed by the heads of the Nigerian police department on their relative efforts to eradicate and effectively round up violence, according to NGF chair. The forum exists to foster collaboration amongst the country’s Executive Governors on matters of public policy and to promote good governance, it says on its website.
The announcement comes amid outrage due to the uncalled rape and deaths of two female students amid a string of violent incidents against several women in the country in recent weeks. University student Uwaila Vera Omozuwa died a few days after she was attacked in a church in Benin city on May 27. She was hit by a fire extinguisher on the assault
Another college student Barakat Bello was raped and killed during an robbery attack in her home in Ibadan on June 1, according to human rights group Amnesty International.
Across the country, Nigerians have taken to the streets amidst the pandemic still ravaging the are, while Amnesty called on the Nigerian government to declare a “national crisis” on rape.
On Friday, President Muhammadu Buhari have clearly enunciated his will to completely root out the problem of sexual violence in his governance, while strongly advocating against such surge of criminal intent in his nation:
“I am particularly upset at recent incidents of rape, especially of very young girls. The police are pursuing these cases with a view to bringing perpetrators of these heinous crimes to swift justice,” Buhari said in a televised Democracy Day address to the nation on Friday.
I wish to assure all our women of this administration’s determination to fight Gender-Based Violence through the instrumentality of the law and awareness creation,” he added.
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