NSCRPA Records 192 Cases involving Under-age,
\n Rape,Maltreatment,Child trafficking, forced marrage etc<\/p>\n
By Uthman Baba-Naseer,Minna<\/p>\n
The Niger State Child Rights Protection Agency says it has recorded at least 192 cases involving children between November 2025 and June 2026, including rape, maltreatment, child trafficking, forced marriage, abandonment and denial of child maintenance.<\/p>\n
The Director-General of the Agency, Hajiya Ummul Mohammed, disclosed this in an interview with the newsmen in Minna.<\/p>\n
She said the agency, which has the responsibility of protecting the rights and interests of children across the state’s 25 Local Government Areas, had continued to intervene in cases of abuse and other violations despite numerous challenges.<\/p>\n
Hajiya Unmul Mohammed, who assumed office in November 2025, said 30 cases were recorded in November, 31 in February, 30 in March, 40 in April, 27 in May and 30 in June.<\/p>\n
She explained that the cases involved child maintenance, maltreatment, missing children, forced marriage, rape, child abandonment, denial of pregnancy and paternity, among others.<\/p>\n
According to her, the agency has also handled cases of child trafficking, domestic servitude, street hawking and children being taken away under the guise of seeking Islamic education.<\/p>\n
She cited the case of a child identified as Umaru, who was brought from Agai to Minna for Islamic studies but was found in an inadequate learning environment.<\/p>\n
The agency, she said, intervened and the child’s father and another person connected to the case are now facing prosecution.<\/p>\n
The Director-General also disclosed that the agency recently facilitated the return of a missing child to her parents in another state, while another young girl brought from Jos to Niger State to work as a domestic servant was returned to her family.<\/p>\n
She said the agency had equally intervened in cases involving children from Wushishi, Kontagora and other parts of the state.<\/p>\n
Hajiya Unmul stressed the importance of public sensitisation, particularly in rural communities where, according to her, many parents and children remain unaware of children’s rights.<\/p>\n
She said the agency had embarked on sensitisation visits to schools, including schools in Dutsen-Kura and Maitumbi, urging teachers and school authorities to report suspected cases of physical or psychological abuse.<\/p>\n
She said the response from schools had been encouraging, citing an instance where a school reported a father who allegedly assaulted his daughter.<\/p>\n
The Director-General identified inadequate mobility as one of the agency’s major challenges, explaining that many victims and complainants were vulnerable people who could not afford transportation required for follow-up services.<\/p>\n
She said she had abolished charges previously imposed for filing complaints at the agency, stressing that victims could now come forward and lodge complaints without paying.<\/p>\n
However, she appealed for more vehicles and logistical support to enable officials to reach communities across the state.<\/p>\n
Niger State, she noted, is vast, making mobility crucial to the effective discharge of the agency’s responsibilities.<\/p>\n
She said the agency currently had desk offices in Bida, Suleja and one other location, but expressed the desire to establish functional desks in more Local Government Areas so that complaints could be received closer to affected communities.<\/p>\n
Hajiya Ummul attributed the rising cases of child abuse and gender-based violence largely to poverty and ignorance.<\/p>\n
She said many parents, unable to provide for their children, send them away to work as domestic servants, exposing them to possible abuse and exploitation.<\/p>\n
She also called for greater parental responsibility, warning that parents who neglect their children would face legal consequences.<\/p>\n
According to her, the agency recently rescued 19 children found at mining sites, with the youngest reportedly about eight years old.<\/p>\n
She said the parents of the children were located and made to undertake bonds of five million naira for each child as a deterrent against sending them back to mining sites.<\/p>\n
The Director-General further disclosed that the agency’s medical unit had referred several children to hospitals for treatment and medical examinations following cases of suspected rape, physical abuse, injuries and other forms of maltreatment.<\/p>\n
She said the agency had referred about 15 cases for medical attention since May 2026, with many of the affected children aged between nine and 16.<\/p>\n
On prosecution, Hajiya Ummul said several cases were currently before different courts in the state, including cases of rape and attempted rape, while the agency continued to monitor and follow up the proceedings.<\/p>\n
She said her previous experience in the judiciary had helped her maintain a cordial working relationship with judicial officers and other stakeholders in pursuing justice for abused children.<\/p>\n
The Director-General commended the Niger State Government for its support, particularly Governor Umar Mohammed Bago and the First Lady, Hajiya Fatima Bago, for their interest in issues concerning children and gender-based violence.<\/p>\n
She also acknowledged the support of the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development.<\/p>\n
However, she called on traditional rulers, Local Government Councils, philanthropists, civil society organisations and other stakeholders to join the government in combating child abuse and trafficking.<\/p>\n
She particularly stressed the need for sustained sensitisation campaigns in rural areas, saying the government alone could not solve the problem.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have to work together. These are our children and they are our responsibility,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Hajiya Ummul said the agency would continue to protect the rights and interests of every child in Niger State and would not hesitate to take legal action against parents or other persons found to be violating those rights.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
NSCRPA Records 192 Cases involving Under-age, Rape,Maltreatment,Child trafficking, forced marrage etc By Uthman Baba-Naseer,Minna The Niger State Child Rights Protection Agency says it has recorded at least 192 cases involving children between November 2025 and June 2026, including rape, maltreatment, child trafficking, forced marriage, abandonment and denial of child maintenance. The Director-General of the Agency, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16504","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16504","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16504"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16504\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16505,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16504\/revisions\/16505"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16504"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16504"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16504"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}