… To undergo second surgery
BY ASMAU MUSA
A 4 year old girl (name withheld) who was defiled by several persons and dumped at a refuse site in Kontagora town in Kontagora local government area of Niger state is set to undergo a second surgery after suffering severe organs injuries.
Confirming the case, Permanent Secretary, Niger state Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajiya Hadiza Mohammed Shiru, assured that the state government is committed to take the matter to a logical conclusion.
Reports have it that, cases of rape in Niger state are on the increase, with young children being defiled by those who should protect them in the society.
According to the Permanent Secretary “as a State, we are doing our best to protect victims of Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV), with a law in place to punish offenders
“We urge victims to speak out to ensure justice is served and get support. Just like the parents of the four-year-old girl did”.
She added that the State Government has stepped in and would ensure the little girl receives treatment as she will be returning to Sokoto State for her second surgery.
In a phone chat with the father of the little girl, he called on the government and well meaning Nigerians to help their ailing daughter who was raped by unconfirmed number of men.
The weeping father who pleaded that his name should not be mentioned in the report said “my four-year-old daughter was defiled by several persons and dumped at a refuse site.”
While narrating his ordeal, he said the incident occurred in April 2025, when unknown persons sneaked into the family’s compound at night and carried his girl away while they were asleep.
According to him “my little girl was raped by several men who got her injured, 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 at night for several hours. After a while, our Neighbours discovered my daughter lying helplessly and unable to move on a dump site after the 5am prayers (Subi).
“And when we checked to examine her, we saw blood stains between her legs, and further examination revealed that she had been raped to the point her organs were coming out.
“She told us that she was carried away while sleeping by unknown persons to an uncompleted building, after being raped, she was dumped at a refuse site.”
The crying father while calling for help said his daughter was immediately rushed to the Kontagora General Hospital, where the management referred her to a hospital in Sokoto State for proper treatment and was discharged after two weeks after but still receiving treatment.
Also, one of the neighbours who gave his name as Hussaini disclosed that, the perpetrators are still unknown adding that, “unfortunately, in most cases, even if they are arrested, the perpetrators escape without being served justice, that is why most rape cases are not reported to the authorities.”
In her response, Director of Social Welfare Services at the Ministry, Rachael Twaki, confirmed that there are many rape cases in the state, especially in Minna.
In her words: “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.”
While adding that, about 114 cases are ongoing in various courts, awaiting conviction, she confirmed the case of the four-year-old from Kontagora, saying “we gathered it was because of the heat, the family was sleeping outside, when some people picked her up and took her to an unknown place where they raped her, resulting in severe injuries to her organs.”
Also, the Director of Planning, Research, and Statistics at the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs Mary Yisa, expressed concerns about the prevalence of SGBV in the state, saying “some of the few cases reported are often withdrawn due to fear of stigmatization, lack of funds to pursue them, among others.
“It is a great menace that needs to be addressed, because it causes havoc, splits homes, removes peace from homes, and sends victims into depression.”
