Akwa Ibom Govt Secures Judgment For Nine Rape Cases

The Akwa Ibom State government has revealed that it has secured judgment for 9 rape cases as part of its efforts to curb gender-based violence.

Commissioner for Agriculture and Women Affairs, Dr. Glory Edet, who disclosed this at weekend, said the state government through her ministry has recently carried out a successful legal battle against rapists in the state.

Edet spoke during a quarterly gender based violence technical working group meeting for case review, data validation and management, held in Uyo the state capital.

She maintained that the judgment against rapists will serve as a warning to others who may be nursing such plans.

“The ministry has secured over nine judgments in the court and the offenders are facing different jail terms, while other cases are ongoing. This will serve as a deterrent to others,” she said.

She commended the efforts of the Female Lawyers Association and the police in the fight against gender base violence, in terms of prosecuting and jailing of perpetrators.

“I want to use this opportunity to thank FELA and security officers because they have done enough in terms of jailing people.

“Sometimes the ministry refer some cases to FELA because there are some cases that needs legal backing

“There are also many cases we refer to police station Ikot Akpan Abia, so that they can handle. It depends on the nature of a case that we know the organization to refer it to because we all work together”.

However, Edet, who frowned at some level of compromise by some law enforcement agents, lack of clear data for gender base violence as well as fear on the part of some rape victims, described it as counter-productive to the fight.

“The greatest challenges of GBV is lack of aggregated data and fear of being attacked on the part of survivors, some compromise by some law enforcement agents, thereby making our efforts counter-productive” she said.

She noted that the ministry has embarked on monitoring of some dedicated health facilities in all the three senatorial districts making up the state for the purpose of information sharing as well as gathering data, adding that the action will help the ministry establish a data bank for the purpose of intervention.

“The ministry has embarked on monitoring of some dedicated health facilities of the three senatorial districts of the state for information sharing as well as to gather information in other to establish a data bank in the ministry for the purpose of intervention.

‘These hospitals include; University of Uyo teaching hospital, Uyo, general hospital Ikot Ekpene, Emmanuel specialist hospital Eket and so on,” she said.

Edet thanked The Executive Governor of the state, Mr Udom Emmanuel for providing an enabling environment, thereby attracting the donor agencies to come into the state.

She called on all the stakeholders in education, religious leaders, traditional rulers and all educated individuals to rise and put a stop to all gender base violence so that the state “ will be a better place to live in”