By Adamu Suleiman, Sokoto
Traditional rulers in Sokoto State who are found culpable of sabotaging the efforts of government towards eliminating the menace of Violence against Women and Girls (VAWG) and other Gender-based Violence (GBV) practices by hiding cases, will risk dethronement.
The District Head of Binji, Kabiru Usman Binji stated this at a visit during a training workshop on Ethical, Media Advocacy and Solution Journalism organised for media practitioners in Sokoto State by the Ministry for Women and Children Affairs in partnership with Spotlight Initiative.
“Any traditional ruler in the domain of a District Head found hiding case(s) of Violence Against Women and Children will be removed,” he said.
Binji said the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar 111 gave the approval as measure for all to brace up against the menace in order to expose perpetrators as well end the practice.
He expressed concern over the spate of VAW&C which cuts across ages and gender in the state. He recalled an incident of a 75-year-old man assaulting a nine-year-old girl as well as a case of a 10-year-old boy who was assaulted (sodomised) by a 25-year-old man in the area.
In a related development, no fewer than 200 Imams of Juma’at Mosque in Sokoto State have received training in measures towards addressing GBV and other related issues.
The founder of Community Awareness and Development Initiative (CADI), Alhaji Sani Umar Jabbi said the idea was muted in line with the objective of achieving GBV-free society.
He said: “It is aimed at deepening the fight supported by the European Union and the United Nations (EU-UN) Spotlight Initiative towards eliminating VAWG in the state.”
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