Rape and sodomy were the most committed crimes in 2021 in Jigawa State, according to records by the state Ministry of Justice.
This is despite the state having in place two stringent laws against rape.
A report by the Jigawa State Ministry of Justice has indicated that the offence is still on the rise in the state with the latest figures showing that out of the 196 case diaries on various offences received by the ministry from January to December, 2021, rape cases topped with 90 case files, followed by 31 cases of sodomy.
Other top crimes included 27 culpable homicide cases; 20 robbery cases; 18 abduction/kidnap cases; three cases each of cheating and fatal accidents; and two case files recorded for offences of incest and act of gross indecency.
Governor Badaru Abubakar had on February 21, 2021, signed into law the Violence Against Persons Protection (VAPP) Law passed by the State House of Assembly. The law, among others, has made provision for life imprisonment against anybody convicted of raping persons under the age of 14 years.
Similarly, the governor on December 22 signed into law the newly enacted Child’s Protection Bill passed by the assembly, which made provision for death sentence for anybody convicted of raping girls under the age of 10 years.
The state’s Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Dr Musa Adamu Aliyu, while briefing reporters on the activities of his ministry in the last 12 months however, confirmed that there was a slight improvement in the dispensation of justice.
The attorney-general who admitted that the state was yet to record any conviction under the new laws was optimistic that with the renewed determination of the judiciary in the state, rape cases would be dispensed with speedily.