The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Mairam Kolo

  • Niger to sponsor surgery of rape victim

    Niger to sponsor surgery of rape victim

    Niger Government would sponsor the surgery of a 10-year-old boy victim of homosexuality at Minna General Hospital, Mrs Mairam Kolo, and the Director General of the state Child Rights Protection Agency, said.

    Kolo told the News men in Minna on Friday, the boy needed immediate Adrenal surgery, alongside three other boys who were sexually abused by a 50-year-old man
    in Wushishi Local Government Area of the state.

    The director general said, the suspect, currently under police custody, lured the boys into his room one after the other and had anal sex with them.

    She added, medical examination on the victims showed that one of them needed immediate surgery on the anus and had been experiencing stomach pains.

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    She said the state Child Rights Protection Agency, in collaboration with Minna General Hospital, would sponsor the surgery to avoid further complications.

    She noted, other victims would undergo counselling after which they would be enrolled in school to acquire formal education.

    She said the state Commissioner of Police had directed that the suspect be transferred to Minna for proper prosecution.

    Kolo, however, said, the increasing rate at which children were being defiled was becoming alarming and urged parents to monitor the movements of their children and people they leave their wards with.

    She enjoined parents and guardians whose children were abused to always report to the appropriate authority for the perpetrators of the crime to be punished.

    NAN

  • Niger gives free education to 175 out-of-school children

    Niger gives free education to 175 out-of-school children

    The Niger State Government on Wednesday said it had started  sponsoring 175 out-of-school children in various public primary and secondary schools in Minna.

    Mrs Mairam Kolo, the Director-General (DG) of the state’s Child Rights Protection Agency disclosed this in Niger, Minna.

    Kolo said that the agency was collaborating with the state Ministry of Education to give free education and free uniforms to the children.

    “The agency picked the children randomly from where they were begging and hawking in the streets.

    “The aim of the agency is to protect the rights of children from being violated and ensure that they are in school.

    “We send them to government schools for the public to know that public schools can produce great people.

    “These children are being given the opportunity to acquire western education in an enabling environment instead of engaging in street begging and hawking.

    “The government is also providing free meals in school,’’ she said.

    Kolo said that the gesture was part of the government’s efforts to reduce the number of out-of-school children as well as abolish street begging and hawking.

    The director-general also appealed to parents to participate in the ongoing maternal new and child-born week and get free medical treatment being offered by the state Ministry of Health.

    “The free medical treatment is for children and pregnant women. They are being given free drugs, mosquito nets and free immunisation against all forms of diseases.

    “This free medical care is on going across the 25 local government areas of the state,’’ she said.

    Kolo advised pregnant women and parents to visit Primary Health Care Centres nearest to them to access free medical services.

    NAN

  • Father sets son ablaze over quarrel with brother

    Father sets son ablaze over quarrel with brother

    A 43-year-old father, Malam Musa Mohammed, has been arrested by the Rights Protection Agency in Niger for setting his 15-year-old son, Bello Musa, ablaze.

    Mrs Mairam Kolo, the Director-General of the agency, disclosed this in an interview on Tuesday in Minna.

    She said that the incident occurred around Polytechnic Road, Bida, in Bida Local Government Area of the state.
    Kolo explained that Musa tied the victim up and siphoned petrol from his motorcycle, poured it on the victim and set him on fire because of his alleged frequent quarrels with his elder brother.

    According to her, the quick intervention of neighbours helped save the victim from being burnt to death.

    “During questioning, the father confessed that his action was as a result of the behaviour of the boy, that he is always quarrelling with his elder brother and rude to him.

    “He said that he was tired of the boy’s bad behaviour and had warned him several times to stop fighting his elder brother, but he refused to adhere to the warning,” she said.

    The director-general said that the accused would be charge to court under Section 25 of the Child Rights Law and sections 299 and 348 of the Panel Code Law.

    She said that the victim is receiving treatment at Umaru Ndayako General Hospital, Bida.
    Earlier, the father admitted to have poured petrol on his son and set him ablaze.

    However, he pleaded with the agency for leniency, saying he committed the offence out of anger.

    NAN

  • I lured her into sex with N100, rapist confesses

    I lured her into sex with N100, rapist confesses

    A 32-year-old rape suspect, Ayuba Salihu, on Thursday told the Niger State Child Right Protection Agency how he lured and sexually abused an eight-year-old pupil with N100.

    Salihu, a tailor and resident of New Market, near Gwari Market in Chanchaga Local Government, admitted he had carnal knowledge of the minor.

    “I saw her in front of my shop crying that she misplaced N100 out of the money she sold from pure water and I gave her the N100.

    “The following time I saw her hawking, I called her to buy water but the devil lured me into the act.

    “I am sorry to have engaged in such an act with a little girl, I promise never to repeat such act again, please forgive me,” Salihu pleaded with the agency.

    In her narration, the victim’s grandmother told the agency that the victim was sent to buy N50 pepper in the morning of Aug. 26, but did not return home till 9 p.m.

    “I became worried when she did not return home early.

    “I called my step-son and we both went round looking for her because we thought she had been kidnapped.

    “It was during the search that we saw her walking to the house at night.

    “I asked where she had being and she did not respond until my step-son started beating her that she told us where she was.

    “She confessed that a man, who is a tailor in the market, has been having sexual intercourse with her anytime she passes the area.”

    According to the grandmother, the girls said the man lure her to a corner and sexually abuse her.

    The grandmother said that she reported the matter to officials of Drug and Crime is Haram (DC Haram) who arrested the suspect and brought him to the agency.

    Narrating her ordeal, the victim said that the suspect lured her into his shop while hawking pure water and forcefully dragged her to a deserted area and had sex with her.

    “He called me that he wanted to buy pure water, after buying the water, he held my hand and told me that we should go and flirt.

    “I told him no, but he forcefully dragged me to a lonely area and brought out his male organ and penetrate me.

    “He has had carnal knowledge of me five times and after the act, sometimes he would  give me N10, N50 and N100 and warned me not to tell anyone or else, he would deal with me,” the girl said.

    The Director-General of the agency, Mrs Mairam Kolo, said that the suspect would be handed over to the police for further investigation.

    Kolo, who decried the rate at which children were being sexually abused at tender age, noted that the agency would embark on vigorous awareness campaign against allowing children to hawk.

    According to her, street begging and hawking expose children to all forms of social vices and advised parents to desist from the act.

  • Niger wants parents to feed, pay for children seeking Islamic knowledge

    Niger wants parents to feed, pay for children seeking Islamic knowledge

    Niger government says that parents of children sent to the state to seek Islamic knowledge will now come along with foodstuff for feeding of their children and pay fees for their upkeep.

    Mrs Mairam Kolo, Director-General of Niger State Child Rights Protection Agency, made the disclosure to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Minna on Tuesday.

    Kolo said the government had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Islamic school teachers against street begging.

    She said Gov. Abubakar Bello had approved that the agency enter an agreement with teachers that parents whose children were sent to the schools bring along  foodstuff and pay a fee to stop them from begging.

    “This new development is to make sure that children are kept off the street and ensure that they are treated properly and their rights enforced and protected.

    “The agreement reached is between the state government, teachers of Islamic schools and parents who bring their children to learn.
    “If these children are sent to learn, then they should not be seen on streets begging, therefore, the agreement is that, the children will not be put to beg and will be properly taken care of,” she said.

    Kolo noted that the essence was to provide decent accommodation and food for the children for effective learning.

    She added that the teachers had been directed to get accurate numbers of pupils in each school to enable the government to know the number of children sent to learn in the state.

    “The governor is not saying he does not want Islamic schools in the state but that the rights of these children are protected.

    “We don’t want strangers coming into our state littering our streets and becoming nuisance. Every child sent to learn in the state must be properly documented.

    “And so far, there has been compliance from the teachers as they have been coming to sign this agreement with us.

    “The teachers will now go and reach a unified agreement with parents on the fee to be paid and the amount of food they will provide on monthly basis,” she said.

    The director-general stressed that street begging was not Islamic and added that the agency would ensure constant monitoring of the schools to ensure compliance by teachers and parents.

    She warned that any teacher who failed to comply with the agreement would be prosecuted in accordance with the law against street begging.

    “There is need to properly educate the public because in the Qu’ran, it is allowed to travel far to seek Islamic knowledge but street begging is not allowed.

    “These children sent to learn should do so in conducive  environments like any other child;  they should have basic right to good health, good place to study, good food and good place to sleep,” she added.

    Kolo said the agency had  commenced sensitisation in various communities on the need to protect the rights of children.