Sokoto State recorded 883 cases of gender-based violence (GBV) and secured 22 convictions between January and December 2025, according to the state Ministry of Women and Children Affairs.
The Director of Women Affairs in the ministry, Hauwa’u Umar-Jabo, disclosed this on Thursday during the quarterly meeting of the GBV and Child Protection Technical Working Committee (TWC) in Sokoto.
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Mrs Umar-Jabo said 251 of the reported cases were handled by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), while the Ministry of Justice handled 32 cases, some of which resulted in convictions.
She emphasised the need for a multi-sectoral approach and joint coordination among stakeholders to sustain the achievements.
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She urged stakeholders to involve Gagi District’s community-led non-governmental organisation, Community Awareness and Development Initiative (CADI), and other available organisations in pursuing GBV cases across the state.
The Director noted that a new online reporting dashboard, initiated by the ministry, will soon commence operations, in view of the challenges faced with the previous one.
In his address, the Acting Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Abubakar Na’abu, said a database of service users, cases identified, referred, and managed will soon be available.
Mr Na’abu said stakeholders working on gender-based violence are more mobilised and enlightened, and there is greater media involvement in their activities.
“The Ministry of Justice, security agencies, and courts are doing well in this regard. I commend NAPTIP, which was able to secure some convictions also,” he said.
Presenting their performance, the representative of the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), Margaret Bala-Nggada, emphasised the need for greater awareness of GBV issues in society.
Ms Bala-Nggada said FIDA embarked on paralegal training for citizens across the local government areas of Sokoto State to raise public awareness of legal services and relevant laws in the state.
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She said FIDA is currently handling seven criminal trials, including culpable homicide involving minors aged between 12 and 15 years, and is pushing for rehabilitation instead of punishment.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that representatives of other organisations presented their respective performances from January 2026 to date and reassured increased cooperation on response and referrals.
(NAN)
