Gombe – An alliance fighting for the domestication of Violence Against People Prohibition (VAPP) Act in Gombe State has sought the support of the Emir of Gombe in seeing that the law is passed in the State.
Speaking when she led other other members of the alliance on an advocacy visit to the Emir of Gombe, Alhaji Abubakar Shehu Abubakar III, the Gombe VAPP Coordinator, Mrs Dudu Mamman Manuga, said there was great need for the law to be domesticated in Gombe State due to the alarming rate of gender based violence in the State.
She said they were in the Emir’s palace to appeal to him to lend his voice to the call because of the situation in Gombe is becoming so alarming and giving the State a very bad name.
She said, “in 2018, a Human Rights Commission report released in early 2019 had it that there were over 300 reported cases of domestic violence in Gombe State alone”.
She explained that “the research looked at five criteria of assessment, sexual and gender based violence and for the index cases, Gombe scored zero for all the five criteria of assessment. We are worst in Nigeria when it comes to sexual and gender based violence issues, the second highest in rape cases in the country”, she stated sadly.
She told our reporter in an interview that “We are not happy and we came to seek the Emir’s support and collaboration and commitment towards ending the menace, that together we will fight the cause.
“We are happy that he has given us his commitment, saying his doors are open to us. We are happy that Gombe is with us having gotten the commitment of the State Government through the SSG and the State House of Assembly. The Royal father has just blessed what we are doing “, she stated.
Responding, the Emir of Gombe, Alhaji Abubakar Shehu Abubakar III, who assured them of his support also acknowledged the existence of gender based violence in the State and said it has become a global menace.
He said he will do all that is needed to ensure that the fight against gender based violence succeeds in the State and that the law equally passed.
VAPP Alliance in Gombe State has twenty-one Civil Society Organizations including NAWOJ, FIDA, NHRC among many others who have tasked themselves to pursue the domestication of the VAPP Act in the State.
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