Garba Haruna, the Commissioner of Police, Yobe State Command, has frowned at the level at which cases of rape are raising in the state.
The CP raised the concern recently while fielding questions from newsmen in Damaturu, the state capital.
He noted that in recent times, rape cases in the state have gone up astronomically, even higher than culpable homicide and armed robbery with Potiskum and Gashu’a towns as the epicentre of the crime.
Haruna attributed poverty as one of the causative factors as victims are mostly street hawkers from poor families.
“What we intend to do to stem the tide; is to sensitize members of the public about the dangers and negative consequences of rape”, he said.
He stated that this can be achieved by engaging traditional as well as religious leaders to admonish parents, guardians and caregivers not to engage their children in street hawking as perpetrators are taking advantage of that to rape children.
“We also need to tell the offenders, the inappropriateness of their characters and that is why most of the times when they (rapists) are arrested and brought here, we don’t joke with cases of rape. We get remand warrants and remand them in correctional facilities and courts in the state are also assisting with that”, he added.
On farmer-herder clashes, the police commissioner said the command, under his stewardship, will partner with leaders from the conflicting parties as a way of finding a workable solution to the recurring phenomenon.
