Young children as young as four years old are being defiled by people who are supposed to protect them, and rape cases seem to be on the rise in Niger State.
The majority of rape cases are not reported to the police, and the offenders often get away with it without facing consequences.
Some of the rare cases that are recorded are reportedly frequently retracted for a variety of reasons, including lack of funding to pursue them and fear of stigmatization.
Advocates are calling for strict enforcement of the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Act, 2015, a Nigerian law that criminalises violence against individuals, including sexual violence, domestic abuse, and harmful traditional practices, and offers victims in the nation protection and remedies in response to the rise in rape cases.
According to a parent interviewed in Kontagora, Niger State’s Kontagora Local Government Area, his four-year-old daughter was violated by many people and disposed of at a landfill.
Speaking anonymously, the father described his experience, stating that it happened in April 2025 when unidentified individuals broke into the family’s compound late at night and took the child away while they were sleeping.
According to the father, his little girl was raped by several men who damaged her organs and dumped her on a refuse dump site.
” As soon as we noticed she was missing, we started searching for her with the help of neighbours in the night for hours. Neighbours discovered my little baby lying helplessly and unable to move on a dump site after the 5 am Muslim prayers.
“When we checked her, we saw blood stains between her legs, and further examination revealed that she had been raped to the point her organs were out. She told us that she was carried away while sleeping by unknown persons to an unfinished building, and after raping, dumped her on a refuse site,” he stated.
The girl was immediately rushed to Kontagora General Hospital, where the management referred her to a hospital in Sokoto State for proper treatment.
With a heavy heart, the father conveyed his daughter to Sokoto through the support of the Kontagora General Hospital and was discharged after two weeks. She is still receiving treatment.
Mary Isah, Director of Planning, Research, and Statistics at the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development in Niger State, expressed concern about the prevalence of gender-based violence (GBV) in the state. “GBV is a great menace that needs to be addressed. It causes havoc, splits homes, removes peace from homes, and sends victims into depression,” she said.
According to Isah, GBV affects both males and females, but women and children are more vulnerable. “Out of all the cases reported, more than half are from females, and a small fraction are from males. Probably due to ego, males find it difficult to report,” she explained.
The director urged victims to report cases of GBV to ensure justice is served. “We want everyone to know that you must not die in silence. This is not the era of ‘I’m the man.’ You keep quiet, and the woman will deal with you silently, and then all of a sudden, the ultimate happens,” she said. She also called on relevant stakeholders to join in the fight against the menace and demand justice for victims.
Mrs Rachel Turakin, Director of Social Welfare Services at the Ministry, confirmed that there are many rape cases in the state, especially in Minna. “We are dealing with several rape cases, but we have few convictions so far. Since we started, we have gotten about five convicted cases, although very minimal,” she said.
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According to Turakin, about 114 cases are ongoing in various courts, awaiting conviction. “We know eventually they will be convicted, especially in rape cases,” she added.
Confirming the case of the four-year-old from Kontagora, Turaki said, “According to the report, because of the heat, the family was sleeping outside, and some people forcefully picked her up and took her to an unknown place where they raped her, resulting in severe injuries to her organs.”
The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Hajiya Hadiza Mohammed Shitu, assured that the state government is committed to protecting victims of GBV, with a law in place to punish offenders.
“We urge victims of not only rape but any kind of GBV to speak out to ensure justice is served and get support. Just like the parents of the four-year-old did, the State Government ensured she received treatment and will be returning to Sokoto for her second surgery,” she said.
The Permanent Secretary, added that the ministry is using its social area officers to sensitize communities on the need to speak out against GBV to ensure perpetrators are dealt with in the state to reduce it drastically.
