Kogi Government rescues 39 abandoned babies, prosecutes 15 child-abuse offenders

The Kogi State Government has rescued 39 abandoned babies and prosecuted 15 child-abuse offenders within


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Kogi Government rescues 39 abandoned babies, prosecutes 15 child-abuse offenders


The Kogi State Government has rescued 39 abandoned babies and prosecuted 15 child-abuse offenders within three years, Fresh Angle International can report.

                                                                                                      

 

 

This much was disclosed today, Monday December 16, by the Kogi State Commissioner of Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs. Bolanle Amupitan, shortly after declaring open a 3-day training programme on Child Safety and Protection for Social Welfare Workers.

 

 

Our Kogi State Correspondent reports that the programme was organized for staff of the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development.

 

 

Mrs. Amupitan, said her ministry had to partner Action Aid Nigeria, to give more bite to the ongoing onslaught by the Yahaya Bello administration against increasing cases of child-abuse in the society, stressing that a situation where children are treated unjustly, was no longer acceptable and offenders will not go unpunished.

 

 

She disclosed that the 39 rescued abandoned babies, were cases of child abandonment at birth or infant as well as those gotten from madwomen.

 

 

The commissioner added that the 15 prosecuted, were arrested for child abuse, which came in form of early marriage and violence related cases, while many of such cases are currently being treated at the related law court.

 

 

Amupitan said the essence of the programme, was to equip Social Welfare Workers and Staff of the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development in the State, to enable them know their right, duty or what to do when child's right is violated.

 

 

According to her, because of the proactive measures put in place by the Bello administration, cases of violation of child right, or abuse have reduced drastically.

 

 

"Children safety, protection and development are not just obligatory but fundamental to any responsible government globally. The responsibility of course is our mandate and core functions which must be handled professionally with all seriousness it deserves", she said.

 

 

Citing example of the controversial teenage marriage of a 13-year old girl in Ofu Local Government, rescue of an abandoned day-old baby at Otokiti village, a suburb of Lokoja as well as arrest and prosecution of a woman in Lokoja, that poured acid on a kid in her custody like similar issues, she said that many orphanages home operating in the state lack necessary facilities and they will be made to conform with acceptable best practices.

 

 

While she debunked erroneous speculations being peddled that the Otokiti abandoned baby had been sold for N1million, she stated that the said baby is with them at the orphanage, adding that the ministry will soon embark on auditing of orphanages so as to identify kids to be adopted or returned to their original owner.

 

                                                         

The ActionAid Nigeria representative, Halima Sedeeq, who is also the State Acting Executive Director, Participation Initiative for Behavioral Change in Development, PIBCID, said the safety of children was a cardinal sector of focus and as such the international non-governmental organization had to partner with the state government via the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development.


Copyright: Fresh Angle International (www.freshangleng.com)
ISSN 2354 - 4104


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Odimayo Olatunde Frederick
graduate of Mass Communication and Kogi State Correspondent of Fresh Angle International Newspaper
Read other stories by Odimayo Olatunde Frederick

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