- Student Union leaders urged to lead fight against SGBV in Niger
On account of claims by some female students accusing Dr. Mkor Aondona, the Special Adviser to the Governor of Benue State on Documentation, Research, and Planning, of unethical and criminal behaviour involving sexual exploitation, cyber bullying and blackmail, he has been arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC).
The anti-graft agency announced the arrest of the governor’s aide in a statement by Dele Oyewale, its spokesperson on Saturday.
The anti-graft agency said the petitioners alleged that Aondona was routinely recruiting slim and attractive girls for ushering jobs and insisted on sexual favours as a condition for selection.
“Based on this, they became vulnerable to having sexual affairs with him but unknown to them, he had videos of every sexual act without their consent and was always threatening to leak the videos if they refused to continue having sex with him.
“Aondona was also alleged to be involved in blackmail—sending explicit videos of the girls allegedly recorded without their knowledge or consent through several messaging platforms. Some of the videos are said to be in circulation,” EFCC said in the statement.
EFCC said the suspect will soon be charged to court.
In the meantime, leaders of Student Union Governments (SUGs) across various tertiary institutions in Niger State have been charged to work closely with their school authorities to address the growing challenge of sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) in the state.
This appeal was made by Hafsat Kusherki, the Gender-Based Violence Desk Officer at the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, during a one-day training session organised in Minna by the Global Promoters for Community Initiative (GPCI) for selected SUG executives.
Kusherki stressed the importance of sensitising students to speak up and report any form of violence, noting that the objective is to amplify the voices of women and students, promote women’s rights, and eradicate violence against women and girls in Niger State.
Also speaking, GPCI Project Coordinator, Olasukanmi Kalejaiye, called on the National Assembly to expedite the passage of the bill on s3xual harassment, which seeks to prevent, prohibit, and provide redress for s3xual harassment in tertiary institutions. He further urged the Niger State Government to enact the Gender Equal Opportunity Law and establish a commission to protect the rights of persons with disabilities.
On her part, Hajara Achibi, GPCI’s Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, explained that the training aimed to raise awareness about the dangers of harmful behaviours, stereotypes, and the impacts of GBV on survivors and communities, while emphasising the role individuals and societies play in prevention.
Meanwhile, student leaders drawn from institutions such as the Federal University of Technology (FUT), Minna, and Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University (IBBU), Lapai, among others, advocated for similar training sessions to be organised on their campuses. They noted that such initiatives would empower students and survivors of SGBV to speak out and seek redress through the appropriate channels.
“Serious allegations of sextortion and sexual exploitation against a governor’s aide. Student union leaders must indeed take a strong stance against SGBV and ensure these claims are thoroughly investigated. No one should trade power for silence.”