Mohammed Munirat Nasir, Gusau
The First Lady of Zamfara State Hajia Aisha Bellow Matawalle has decried the alarming rise in reported rape cases in the country, recommending strict punishment for offenders.
The wife of the state governor made the call during a road walk against sexual and Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in commemoration of this year’s International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence.
The road walk, organised by the office of the first lady in collaboration with the Zamfara State Ministry for Women, Children and Social Development, had women groups and NGOs marching through major roads in Gusau to the State House of Assembly, Police Headquarters and the Emir of Gusau’s palace seeking for justice against the perpetrators of GBV.
Hajia Aisha represented by the state Commissioner for Women Affairs, Hajia Zainab Lawal, urged stakeholders to stand in solidarity with survivors and that appropriate measures must be taken against perpetrators of GBV in the society.
‘The time to act is long overdue and therefore we must take a decisive action to checkmate this ugly trend in the society,’ she said.
The Emir of Gusau, Alhaji Ibrahim Bello, expressed the commitments of the state traditional rulers to lend their support in the fight, saying it is a collective responsibility for all to end the scourge.