Adamawa State government plans to establish special rape courts as number of cases rise

ADAMAWA State government plans to establish special rape courts with the specific purpose of dealing with the high number of incidences of sexual assaults that have occurred across the state in recent times.

Of late, Adamawa, like many of Nigeria's 35 other states, has witnessed a high number of rape incidences, with most of them poorly prosecuted in the general courts. To address the matter, Afraimu Jingi, the Adamawa State attorney-general and justice commissioner, said the court to be designated would have personnel whose dedication would be to handle rape cases.

He added that the previous administration had towards the end of its term made commitments to establishing a special court for rape trials. Cases of rape have been rife in Adamawa State over the last couple of months and years, just as kidnapping cases have been also particularly troubling.

Mr Jingi said: “We are not establishing a special court but we are working on designating an existing court to try rape cases and give speedy justice." He added that relevant officials of his ministry and the government were working on ways to effectively prosecute suspected rapists and kidnappers alike to check the vices.