Mwalin Abdu, Vice Chairperson of the Nigerian Bar Association’s Gombe Branch, has voiced her dismay over the reported amputation of a 12-year-old named Adamu, allegedly linked to a phone theft in Akko Local Government Area, Gombe State.
In a press release titled “Protecting our future: Urgent action needed on child protection in Gombe State,” issued on the occasion of the 2024 Children’s Day, Abdu, who also leads the Human Rights Committee of the NBA, strongly denounced the rising incidence of abuse.
She urged for stringent enforcement of child protection laws to tackle such egregious acts, stressing the imperative of collaborative endeavors to combat violence against minors.
She said, “In 2018, we woke up to the story of young Zubair Abubakar (13 years old), whose arms were amputated because of the abuse by his teacher, just four days ago was another devastating story of 12-year-old Adamu from Tumu District in Akko LG of same Gombe State who also lost his arms due to similar incident with Zubair Abubakar, over alleged theft of phone.
“Even though the office of the Attorney General has taken over the prosecution of the cases, we believe that is not enough, because these two stories are just a tip of the iceberg of the numerous daily reported and unreported complaints or cases of child abuse in the state, ranging from sexual abuse, child labour, child molestation, child trafficking and so on.”
While lamenting the effects of abuses perpetrated in the state, Abdul added, “The heartbreaking tales of young victims like Zubair Abubakar and Adamu from Gombe State underscore a troubling reality: child abuse remains a pervasive issue in our communities, transcending mere headlines to expose the harsh realities faced by our most vulnerable members.
“While the ratification of the child protection law in 2022 was a pivotal step, the gap between legislation and its effective enforcement looms large, leaving children at risk and their futures uncertain.”
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