Crime
Enugu launches gender-based violence taskforce
…as lawmaker vows to punish offender
By Chinedu Adonu
Enugu State on Monday formally launched its Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Taskforce, marking what stakeholders described as a decisive turning point in the fight against sexual and gender-based abuses across the state.
The launch, implemented by the Economic and Social Empowerment of Rural Communities (ESERC) in partnership with the Ministry of Children, Gender and Social Development and funded by the French Embassy Fund for Civil Society (FEF-OSC), brought together government officials, traditional rulers, religious leaders, civil society groups and security agencies at the International Conference Centre, Enugu.
Declaring the Taskforce open, Commissioner for Children, Gender and Social Development and Chair of the Taskforce, Mrs Ngozi Eni, said the state had made a bold statement that “gender-based violence has no home in Enugu State.”
She described the Taskforce as a functional mechanism with clear mandates on prevention, protection, accountability and multi-sectoral coordination.
“This is not a symbolic body. It is a force for action. Today, we begin a new era where every survivor is heard, every perpetrator faces justice and institutions respond with one voice,” she said.
Eni commended Governor Peter Mbah for prioritising GBV response and creating an enabling environment for inclusive governance. She also praised the French Embassy and ESERC for supporting a survivor-centred framework that would strengthen shelters, legal aid, psychosocial support and safer reporting channels.
Commissioner for Health, Prof. George Ugwu, said the MoU signed by all partners demonstrated the state’s readiness to prevent GBV.
“The pain of experiencing GBV is unimaginable. For this reason, I call on us all to act responsibly, especially in moments of anger or under the influence of drugs,” he warned.
In his remark, the member representing Oji River at the Enugu State House of Assembly, Hon. Osita Eze, expressed serious concern over rising cases of GBV and vowed to ensure that offenders are prosecuted according to the law.
Hon. Eze condemned recent incidents such as underage marriage and the killing of a 19-year-old girl by her uncle, assuring the public that the perpetrators would not escape justice. He emphasised the government’s commitment to passing and enforcing a comprehensive GBV law in the state.
“The recent incident of underage marriage was widely condemned by the state government and every right-thinking individual. As for the killing of the 19-year-old girl by her uncle, it is a grave matter and the offender will not go scot-free. The law must take its course,” he said.
Religious and traditional leaders highlighted the centrality of community gatekeepers in eliminating GBV.
Bishop of Nike Anglican Diocese, Rev Dr Christian Onyeka Onyia, described the involvement of the church and traditional institutions as “the most sensible step,” insisting that GBV prevention would fail without them.
Chairman of the State Traditional Rulers Council, Igwe Samuel Asadu, pledged the commitment of traditional rulers and called for constitutional recognition of their roles to enable them serve their communities more effectively.
Executive Director of ESERC, Rev’d Ikechukwu Nwaogu, described the launch as a historic milestone. He said the project, supported by the French Embassy, had already transformed GBV reporting systems in Ebonyi State and would replicate similar success in Enugu.
Nwaogu highlighted the project’s three pillars: community engagement, multi-sectoral coordination and economic empowerment for survivors. He announced the training of Community Advocacy Groups in Enugu East and Nkanu East, the activation of the GBV Taskforce with relevant MDAs and security agencies, and the rollout of seed grants to help survivors rebuild their lives.
He stressed that impunity would no longer be tolerated, noting that Taskforce hotline numbers had been distributed across schools, markets, churches and community centres.
“This is not merely a structure; it is a movement to end GBV in Enugu State,” he said.
Stakeholders jointly pledged sustained action to build a state where every child is protected, every woman is respected and every community rejects violence.
The attack, which occurred at about 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, threw the community into mourning and heightened concerns over security in the area.
Confirming the incident in a statement issued on Wednesday by its spokesperson, ASP Saliu Afusat, the Kogi State Police Command said a large number of armed bandits, operating on about 40 motorcycles, invaded the school with the suspected intention of abducting students and other residents.
The statement said the Divisional Police Officer of Kabba ‘A’ Division immediately mobilised a joint security response after receiving distress calls, deploying personnel from the police division, the Police Mobile Force, and tactical teams.
It added that military personnel and local vigilante groups already stationed in the area also joined the operation.
“The combined security operatives engaged the hoodlums in a fierce gun duel, forcing the criminals to flee into the surrounding bush.
“Preliminary findings indicate that there is presently no conclusive evidence of a successful mass abduction of students or other residents.
The Command, however, confirmed that three persons were killed during the attack.
“They include Mr Ganiyu Anifowose, the Vice Principal of UBE Secondary/Primary School, Iluke; Mr Sunday Jacob Alhassan, aged 70 years; and Sunday Ayele, aged six years.”
The police said one of the attackers was neutralised during the exchange of gunfire, while a member of the joint security team sustained gunshot injuries and is currently receiving treatment.
The Commissioner of Police has ordered sustained bush-combing operations and confidence-building patrols in the affected area. According to the Command, joint security operatives are still conducting intensive operations to apprehend fleeing suspects and prevent further attacks.
Members of the public were urged to remain calm and assist security agencies with credible information.
“Further developments will be communicated as investigations and operations progress,” the statement added.
The Edo State Government has ordered the temporary closure of three public secondary schools in Akoko-Edo Local Government Area following intelligence reports of a potential kidnapping threat targeting students.
The affected schools are Ososo Grammar School, Ososo Comprehensive High School and Makeke Secondary School.
The directive, issued through the State Ministry of Education, followed security advisories warning of possible attacks on educational institutions in the area.
In a circular signed by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Enodolomwanyi Otamere, the government said the closure was a precautionary measure aimed at protecting students, teachers and host communities pending further security assessments.
Sources familiar with the development revealed that intelligence gathered by security agencies, including the Department of State Services (DSS), indicated that suspected criminal elements were plotting attacks on schools in Edo North Senatorial District.
According to the sources, kidnappers may have shifted focus to schools after previous attempts to abduct wealthy individuals reportedly yielded little financial gain. Security operatives were also said to have intercepted information suggesting that attacks on schools could attract quicker attention and higher ransom payments.
Tension heightened after the arrest of a suspect allegedly caught conducting surveillance around Makeke Secondary School in early June. Investigators believe the development may be connected to the reported threat.
Following the intelligence reports, security agencies advised the state government to take preventive measures, including strengthening security around schools and other public facilities. Recommendations reportedly included increased patrols, enhanced intelligence gathering and closer collaboration with local vigilante groups and community security outfits.
The ministry announced that all academic and administrative activities in the affected schools have been suspended until further notice.
However, candidates participating in the ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) will continue to sit for their papers under enhanced security arrangements.
The government said security personnel and community stakeholders would work together to ensure the safety of examination candidates throughout the exercise.
School authorities have been directed to facilitate the safe return of students to their parents and guardians, secure school facilities and maintain close communication with security agencies during the closure period.
The state government appealed to residents to remain calm and cooperate with security personnel, assuring them that efforts are underway to neutralise any threat and restore normal academic activities as soon as possible.
Gunmen have abducted the Vice Chairman of Ifedayo Local Government Area of Osun State, Hon. Debo Farounbi, during an attack on Ora community along the Osun/Kwara boundary.
The incident reportedly occurred around 10 p.m. on Tuesday when the armed men invaded the community and fired several gunshots into the air, throwing residents into panic.
Farounbi was reportedly abducted alongside three other persons during the attack.
However, security operatives, including military personnel and local vigilantes stationed in the area, engaged the attackers in a gun battle, forcing them to abandon three of the victims.
According to residents, the gunmen eventually escaped with Farounbi after the exchange of gunfire.
One resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity for security reasons, said the attackers had initially succeeded in moving the victims toward a nearby bush before security operatives intervened.
“Four people, two Fulani women and two men including the Ifedayo Local Government Vice Chairman, Debo Farounbi were abducted. But the resistance put up by the military made the perpetrators to abandon three people.
“They however went away with Farounbi. Our people did not sleep throughout the night. We are in serious fear. The incident happened around 10 p.m. on Tuesday,” the resident said.
Confirming the incident, the spokesperson of the Osun State Police Command, Abiodun Ojelabi, said security agencies had launched efforts to rescue the council vice chairman.
“One person was abducted. He is a local government vice chairman, Hon. Debo Farounbi. Immediately the incident happened, the military, police and others responded. Efforts are in place to rescue the man. It is abduction until we are able to prove that it is a case of kidnapping,” Ojelabi stated.
A middle-aged woman has been arrested by the police in Ovia North-East Local Government Area of Edo State for allegedly throwing her five-year-old physically challenged son into a river after a self-proclaimed prophet reportedly told her that the child was a python.
The suspect was apprehended by angry residents shortly after the incident at a riverbank in the community.
According to reports, the woman confessed that she acted on the instruction of a spiritualist based in Benin City, who allegedly convinced her that the child was responsible for her inability to have more children.
The woman explained that she had suffered several miscarriages after giving birth to the child and sought spiritual assistance in an effort to overcome her fertility challenges.
In a video circulating on social media, the suspect reportedly said: “Every pregnancy ended in miscarriage. A seer told me to put my five-year-old child inside the river and that I would be able to give birth again. The seer said if I put my baby inside the river, the child would turn into a python.”
She claimed the spiritualist convinced her that the physically challenged child was a spiritual obstacle preventing her from conceiving successfully.
Acting on the alleged advice, she reportedly took the child to a nearby river and threw him into the water.
Residents who noticed her suspicious movements near the riverbank reportedly rushed to the scene but arrived after the child had already been thrown into the river.
The woman was immediately detained by community members and later handed over to law enforcement authorities.
The incident has sparked outrage among residents, child rights advocates and public health experts, who condemned the role of superstition and misinformation in the tragedy.
The suspect is currently in police custody and is expected to face prosecution.
Meanwhile, community leaders and human rights groups have called for the arrest and prosecution of the self-styled prophet alleged to have influenced the woman to commit the act.
Police authorities are yet to issue an official statement on the incident.
The Enugu State Police Command has dismissed as false a viral social media report alleging that armed herdsmen attacked a school in Ezeagu Local Government Area of the state.
The Command said investigations and security assessments conducted following the circulation of the report confirmed that no such incident occurred in Ezeagu or any other part of Enugu State.
In a statement issued on Tuesday by the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Daniel Ndukwe, the Command described the report as a deliberate fabrication capable of creating fear, panic, and confusion among residents, particularly school administrators, teachers, students, and parents.
According to the police, operatives immediately carried out on-the-spot security assessments, intelligence gathering, operational checks, and discreet investigations, all of which established that the alleged attack never took place.
The Command condemned the spread of false information and warned that those responsible for originating and disseminating the report would be identified and prosecuted.
The Commissioner of Police, CP Mamman Bitrus Giwa, has directed the Command’s Tactical and Intelligence Units to intensify efforts to track down the perpetrators and ensure they face the full weight of the law.
The police boss reaffirmed the Command’s commitment to protecting lives and property and maintaining peace and public order across Enugu State.
He urged residents to disregard the report, remain calm and vigilant, and continue to report suspicious activities to security agencies.
The Command also encouraged members of the public to make use of its emergency lines — 08032003702, 08086671202, 112, 09134666668, and 09134448093 — to report security concerns.
The police reiterated that misinformation and alarmist reports pose a threat to public peace and warned against the dissemination of unverified information capable of causing unnecessary panic.
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