By Segun Adewale in Bauchi
In the spirit of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, the Bauchi State Chapter of the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), has taken its campaign against Gender-Based Violence (GBV) to the State Police Command in order to foster partnership that will reduce the menace to the barest minimum.
Receiving members of NAWOJ in his office at the State Police Headquarters, the State Commissioner of Police, Sani-Omolori Aliyu stated that as a command, it has stood for the protection of the rigths of women and girls against Gender-Based Violence.
He said that the command has a gender unit at the State Criminal Investigation Department (CID) that promptly addresses and investigate offences of gender based violence, assuring that it will partner with the association in raising awareness on Gender-Based Violence.
“A lot of victims of gender based violence choose to keep quiet due to stigmatisation, so you need to create more awareness on this menace so that the victims can speak up and get justice.I want to assure you that the Nigeria Police has the constitutional role of protecting women and girls against violence of any kind and we are committed to that”.
” I also want to assure you that our doors are open twenty fours and we are ready to always partner with you. As an association, you may come across some vital information that can be of help to us, please don’t hesitate to give us such information so that we can reduce to the barest minimum, the menace of gender-based violence in the state”he said.
Speaking earlier, the State NAWOJ Chairperson, Rashida Yusuf said that NAWOJ is a gender based organization, committed to the development of women in all fields as well as preserving girls, women rights and protecting the weak and vulnerable in the society.
According to her, the objectives of the association aligned with the crime fighting drives of the Nigeria Police Force, in the areas of protecting children and women’s rights.
While appreciating the command for the warm reception given to NAWOJ members , Rashida expressed the readiness of the association to partner with the police in the state in tackling the scourge of gender-based violence, especially violence against women and girls.
Also Speaking, the Second -in-Command in charge of Gender Department of the State Police Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Bauchi, ASP Danladi Samalia said that the command so far has recorded 180 gender based violence cases in the state from January 2025 till date, pointing out that most of the cases has been charged to court.
He said that in the past, the command usually receives four to five cases of GBV on a daily basis such as rape, domestic violence in marriages and other forms of violence, adding that there has been a drastic reduction in the occurrences of gender based violence as a result of the collaborative efforts of the police and other stakeholders in the state.
