Akwa Ibom Assembly Seeks To Prioritise Gender-Based Violence
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Members of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly have called on law enforcement agencies, courts, and relevant stakeholders in the criminal justice system to consider sexual offences as a first-line priority.
The lawmakers made the call in a resolution on Friday during plenary at the legislative chamber of the Assembly complex in Uyo, the state capital.
They also urged the Ministry of Justice to consider bail opposition and reject plea bargaining proposals in rape and gender-based violence cases.
According to them, the call became necessary following the rising cases of rape and gender-based violence reported in the state.
The resolution followed a motion sponsored by the lawmaker representing Etinan State Constituency, Aniefiok Dennis, and co-sponsored by his colleague representing Nsit Ubium State Constituency, Otobong Bob.
In his remarks, Dennis decried the upsurge of the crimes, noting that no fewer than 58 cases of rape and violence against women were reported in Akwa Ibom with the prosecution of over 23 culprits in the last six months.
He listed depression, dissociation from reality, post-traumatic stress disorder, unwanted pregnancy, and exposure to sexually transmitted diseases as some of the dangers faced by the victims.
The lawmaker urged relevant government agencies, religious leaders, traditional rulers, civil society organisations, and security agencies among others to aggressively address what he described as barbaric and heinous crimes.
In his response, the Speaker of the House, Aniekan Bassey, commended Governor Udom Emmanuel for assenting to the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Law recently passed by the lawmakers.
He directed the Clerk of the House, Mandu Umoren, to communicate the resolution of the lawmakers to the appropriate quarters.