Women Affairs Commissioner Raises alarm over high rate of Child defilement cases

The Edo State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Eugenia Abdallah, has raised concern over the rising cases of child defilement in the state, revealing that 72 cases were recorded between January and July 2026.

Abdallah disclosed this during the bi-monthly press briefing organised by the Edo State Ministry of Information and Strategy.

According to the commissioner, more than half of the reported cases involved fathers as the alleged perpetrators, with some of the victims between the ages of two and 10.

She gave the example of a 14-year-old girl currently in the ministry’s custody who is eight months pregnant, allegedly after being impregnated by her father.

Abdallah said the case was brought to the ministry’s attention by a neighbour, adding that the girl had told officials that her father was dead and pleaded that he should not be arrested.

She, however, noted that the girl remains the only person who can assist authorities in locating her father.

The commissioner, who spoke alongside the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Kassim Afegbua, and the Managing Director of the Edo State Geographic Information Service (EdoGIS), Dr Innocent Bello, assured residents that the state government remained committed to protecting vulnerable people.

She said the government would focus not only on identifying vulnerable citizens but also on providing survivors with the necessary support and creating opportunities for women to improve their economic wellbeing.

Abdallah also highlighted some of the ministry’s major interventions between the period under review and earlier programmes.

She said Edo State successfully hosted the 25th National Council on Women Affairs in Benin City in November 2025, bringing together government officials, development partners, civil society organisations and other stakeholders.

On the fight against sexual and gender-based violence, the commissioner said the ministry, in collaboration with the International Organization for Migration and other partners, commissioned a Sexual Assault Referral Centre in Uromi, while plans were ongoing to establish another centre in Auchi.

She added that the ministry had also carried out sensitisation programmes on cyberbullying, online harassment, cyberstalking, digital exploitation, privacy and responsible use of technology, leading to the validation of a Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence Policy Framework in June 2026.

Abdallah further disclosed that women across Edo’s three senatorial districts received business and digital marketing training, while 171 beneficiaries were given N100,000 grants each to strengthen their businesses.

She said the ministry also organised a three-day women’s mini trade fair, which provided entrepreneurs, traders and artisans with opportunities to display their products, attract customers and expand their business networks.

Other initiatives, according to the commissioner, included a women’s health, fitness and wellness programme organised in partnership with the Office of the First Lady at Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium.

She also disclosed that the ministry introduced the Children First Software to improve documentation, case tracking, accountability, family tracing and monitoring of children in institutional care.

Meanwhile, Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Kassim Afegbua, reiterated that the state government’s restriction on motorcycle operations in Benin City was introduced for security reasons.

He said motorcycles had allegedly been used by criminals to facilitate kidnapping and robbery, particularly by transporting victims to isolated locations.

Also speaking, the Managing Director of EdoGIS, Dr Innocent Bello, said the agency had digitised more than 30,000 legacy land files and public records inherited from the former Mid-Western Region.

He explained that the digitisation had improved the security and accessibility of land records while reducing reliance on physical files.

Bello added that EdoGIS had also improved the processing of Certificates of Occupancy, but noted that the detection of fraudulent documents, including survey plans, tax clearance certificates and identification documents, was responsible for delays in processing some applications.