According to ASP Mahid Abubakar, the Command’s Public Relations Officer, the suspect, Abubakar Muhammed, was arrested for alleged sexual assault. The pupils’ father, Adamu Ali, reported the crime to the police on March 7, 2023, after the assault was committed between January and March.
Abubakar revealed that the suspect, who resides in Malam-inna quarters, Gombe, committed the offence at the Islamiyya school located in the same community. The victims were taken to the hospital for medical examination, and the suspect confessed to the crime. He will soon be charged to court for prosecution.
In another related development, Abubakar said three suspects were also arrested for defiling three sisters aged 12, 15, and 17. The girls’ father, Aliyu Adamu, and one Alhaji Abba, attached to the National Human Rights Commission(NHRC) in Gombe State, reported the complaint to the police.
The suspects, Sani Adamu, 50; Adamu Muhammed, 40, and Bakura Muhammed, 30, have confessed to the crime and will soon be charged to court for prosecution.
Abubakar also stated that two other suspects were arrested for criminal conspiracy and armed robbery. He assured the public that the command was working to ensure that young persons and children across the state were secured from criminals.
He called on parents and guardians to keep a closer watch over their children and monitor their activities in schools while appealing for credible information from the public to rid the state of criminality.
Child sexual abuse is a heinous crime that often goes unreported, especially in conservative societies. According to UNICEF, one in four girls and one in ten boys experience sexual violence before they reach the age of 18.
A report by the Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) showed that one in four girls and one in ten boys in Nigeria had experienced sexual violence before the age of 18, while 70% of boys and girls aged between 5 and 11 years had experienced physical violence in the last 12 months.
The prevalence of child sexual abuse in Nigeria has prompted advocacy groups to call for stiffer penalties for perpetrators. The Child Rights Act (CRA), which provides for the protection of children from sexual abuse, is in force in 24 states, but its implementation has been slow.
In states where the CRA is not in force, the Penal Code and the Criminal Code provide for punishment for offenders. The punishment for rape in Nigeria ranges from life imprisonment to death.
In 2015, Nigeria launched a national campaign to end violence against children, which aimed to strengthen the country's child protection systems and reduce the prevalence of violence against children. The campaign, tagged "End Violence Against Children," is part of a global initiative by the United Nations to eliminate all forms of violence against children by 2030.
Efforts by the Nigerian government and civil society groups to protect children from sexual abuse have yielded results in some states. For example, in 2020, the Lagos State Government announced the conviction of 45 persons for various sexual offences against children, while the government of Kaduna State launched a mobile app to combat child sexual abuse. However, more needs to be done to protect children across the country.