Lockdown: Domestic Violence On The Increase In Nigeria – NAPTIP Raises Alarm

National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons and other related offences has decried the increasing cases of rape, incest and domestic abuses among Nigerians during the stay-at-home order due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The NAPTIP Director-General, Julie Okah-Donli, disclosed this in an interview with reporters in Abuja during the distribution of palliatives to orphanages and other partners of the agency which run shelters for victims of trafficking.

The palliatives were donated by the Alumni (Federal Capital Territory Chapter) of the Association of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, Plateau State, to the Minister of State, Federal Capital Territory Administration, Ramatu Aliyu and then delivered to NAPTIP.

The DG said the latest case recorded was a man in Abuja who raped his four-year-old daughter and was caught and reported by the wife.

She said:

“Domestic and sexual abuses have been crazy. The cases are increasing. I think some men are suffering from cabin fever. They are not used to staying at home with their wives. So the more their wives are in their faces, the more they get angry and beat them up. We recorded over 30 cases in a certain period.

“Even rape, sodomy; the last we got was a father who raped his four-year-old daughter and was caught by his wife. We have had very many dirty cases recently. We cannot keep the suspects in custody because of COVID-19.

“They have been granted bail but as soon as we can prosecute them, we will start to do that.”

The AANI Vice President, Hajiya Aisha Dankani, said the palliatives included bags of 10kg rice, 500 packets of noodles and 30 packets each containing 50 bottles of cooking oil.

She said:

“We have chosen FCT, Lagos and Kano as the first three states to reach out to. We hope that God will see us through this pandemic period.

“We believe the lockdown has otherwise affected a number of vulnerable Nigerians and for the first batch, we have selected these three states.”