By Segun Awofadeji
Gombe State Government says it is open to alliance with any organisation whose thematic area was to address the incidences of Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) in the state.
The Secretary to the State Government, Professor Ibrahim Abubakar Njodi, stated this yesterday when he granted audience to Violence Against Persons Alliance (VAPP), a coalition of non-governmental organisations formed to push for the domestication of Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act.
Professor Njodi who expressed sadness over a report ranking the state as number one in the incidences of SGBV, said Gombe State was packaging a stringent law that would address issues such as drug abuse, rape and kidnapping in the state.
He said Governor Inuwa Yahaya had since established the Ministry of Internal Security and Ethical Orientation to provide security to the people of the state while carrying out pro social activities that could re-orient the minds of the people.
The SSG said there was a strong correlation between the abuse of substance and the tendency to commit crime of despicable proportion, saying this was why the Governor of Gombe State appointed a Special Adviser on Drugs and Narcotics.
Professor Njodi thanked the coalition for standing up to be counted in times of need, assuring of the State Government’s readiness to work in partnership with them.
Speaking earlier, the leader of the delegation, Dudu Mamman Manuga, said Violence Against Persons Alliance was a coalition of civil society organisations who came together to address the incidences of sexual and gender based violence in the state.
She said a report by researchers.ng ranked Gombe State as having the highest number of SGBV in the country; a situation the leader of the delegation said was worrisome.
Dudu Manuga said the coalition had since submitted a zero draft bill to the Gombe State Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice for the promulgation of Violence Against Persons Prohibition Law in Gombe state.
