Sokoto sees 883 cases of gender-based violence, 22 people convicted in a year

Sokoto State reported 883 cases of gender-based violence (GBV) and secured 22 convictions from January to December 2025. This information came from the state Ministry of Women and Children Affairs.

Hauwa’u Umar-Jabo, the Director of Women Affairs, shared this news on Thursday. She spoke during the quarterly meeting of the GBV and Child Protection Technical Working Committee (TWC) in Sokoto.

Mrs Umar-Jabo mentioned that 251 of the cases were dealt with by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP). The Ministry of Justice took care of 32 cases, and some of these led to convictions.

She highlighted the need for everyone to work together. This includes joint efforts among different groups to keep up the progress made in tackling GBV.

Mrs Umar-Jabo encouraged stakeholders to involve the Community Awareness and Development Initiative (CADI) from Gagi District and other local organisations to help pursue GBV cases across the state.

The Director also announced that a new online reporting dashboard will start soon. This is to address the issues faced with the previous reporting system.

In his speech, Abubakar Na’abu, the Acting Permanent Secretary of the ministry, said they will soon have a database for tracking service users, cases identified, referred, and managed.

Mr Na’abu noted that those working on gender-based violence are now more informed and engaged. He said there is also more media involvement in their activities.

“The Ministry of Justice, security agencies, and courts are doing well in this area. I commend NAPTIP for securing some convictions too,” he stated.

Margaret Bala-Nggada, who represented the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), spoke about the need to raise awareness on GBV issues in society.

Ms Bala-Nggada explained that FIDA is conducting paralegal training for citizens in Sokoto State’s local government areas. This training aims to inform the public about legal services and relevant laws.

She shared that FIDA is currently handling seven criminal trials, including cases of culpable homicide involving minors aged 12 to 15. They are advocating for rehabilitation instead of punishment for these young offenders.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that representatives from other organisations shared their updates from January 2026 to now. They promised to work together more closely on response and referrals.