ADAMAWA State witnessed a total of 350 cases of rape and sexual assault between May and October 2020 according to recent statistics just unveiled by the commissioner for women’s affairs and social development Lami Ahmed.
Speaking in the state capital Yola, at the launch of SMARTRR, a technological-driven solution that allows users of mobile phones to report and refer cases of rape and other gender-based violence in their community, Ms Ahmed said the matter has now got out of hand. She added that the culture of silence over rape cases and other sexual violence was responsible for the recent surge in the number of incidents across the state.
She disclosed that already, about 150 cases of rape in the state had been reported, using the SMARTRR and added that follow-ups had been made by concerned service providers. Ms Ahmed expressed delight that a youth in the state, Samuel Dirug, came up with the innovation, which allowed for the confidential reporting and referral of nearly half of the over 350 recorded cases between May and October.
Ms Ahmed said: “With over 350 cases, one is only left to wonder what measures are to be taken to address this issue before it makes an animal kingdom out of our society. That is if it has not created one already.”
Mr Dirug noted that 180 active cases of sexual abuse had been reported using the app, with 27 out of them successfully closed with the assistance of partners in Adamawa State since May. Of late, rape has grown to epidemic proportions across Nigeria as insecurity has now become commonplace.
