The Adamawa state chapter of Nigeria Association of Women Journalists is seeking the death penalty and other stringent punishments for rapists.
They took to streets of Yola to protest against rising incidents of rape in the state demanding the state government and the House of Assembly domesticate child rights bill and enact a law that would protect potential
rape victims.
A few days back, a 13-year old girl was defiled by a 42-year old man in Numan local government area of the state. This was only one of over 500 rape cases that have been recorded in the state within the last five months, and majority of the victims are minors.
Women journalists carried placards bearing various inscriptions which passed across their demands very clearly. They were joined by representatives of other women groups.
Their walk through streets ends at the state Secretriat in Jimeta, where they were received by the state Commissioner of Women Affairs and Social Development, Lami Ga’anda. The Association also wants the state’s first lady to lend her voice to this war against rape.
Their male counterparts in the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), are in support, expressing discomfortable at having to report rape incidents on an almost daily basis.
The Commissioner for Women Affairs assures the protesters that Governor Ahmadu Fintiri is passionately against rape and will take stringent measures against its perpetrators