3rd December, 2023
The All Progressives Congress (APC) Professional Women Council on Saturday called for more stringent measures in stemming the menace of Gender Based Violence (GBV) against women and girls in Kogi.
Hajiya Rekiya Onaivo-Sanni, Kogi Co-ordinator of the council, made the call during a media parley in celebration of the Orange World 16 Days of Activism against Gender Based Violence (GBV) in Lokoja.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that the occasion was to mark the fight against gender based violence on women and girls.
Onaivo-Sanni said: “A situation where a total of 2,203 GBV cases have been reported in Kogi in 2023, based on the NGBV Data Situation Room and Dashboard for Prevention and Response to GBV in Nigeria, is unacceptable.”
“This alarming figure is enough for both federal and state governments as well as spirited organisations to take more actions against perpetrators to serve as a deterrent.
“As a concerned council, we expect government to vigorously invest in the eradication of Gender Based Violence in the Nigerian society for the good of women, ” she said.
The state coordinator, who spoke on the theme: “Policy advocacy, a panacea for the elimination of Gender Based Violence in Kogi,” described the theme as apt and timely.
She assured that the council would work tirelessly towards the promulgation of the right policies that would mitigate the noticeable gaps causing GBV in Kogi.
The coordinator, who is also the Managing Director (MD) of Kogi Enterprise Development Agency (KEDA), expressed worry that 35 per cent of GBV victims were women.
“It’s unfortunate that the menace occurs everywhere, in workplaces, churches, markets and at homes, which demands all hands to be on deck to stamp out the GBV from the society, ” she said.