The 202 cases of violence against persons recorded in Akwa Ibom State in six years drastically dropped in five years owing to hoarding of information by the victims, Straightnews has gathered.
An investigation carried out by Straightnews shows that many victims of wife battery and widow disinheritance are afraid of reprisal attacks by the suspects while other persons particularly rape victims hoard information for fear of being stigmatised in the society.
A breakdown shows that 106 cases were reported in 2013, 61 in 2014, 14 in 2015, 12 in 2016, 12 in 2017 and one as at January in 2018.
Of 106 cases of sexual abuse/disinheritance reported in 2013, 86 were settled by court of law, eight were struck out while 12 cases are ongoing.
A report obtained from the state Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Welfare, Uyo further shows that of the 61 cases of sexual abuse for 2014, four convicts bagged 10 years of imprisonment and one got four years on defilement, 43 are ongoing, 10 were settled and three were struck out.
The report made available to Straightnews also indicates that of 14 cases in 2015, seven cases were settled, one person jailed and seven are ongoing.
According to the report, six of the 12 cases bordering on non-payment of house rent to a widow, indebtedness, impregnated and abandoned girl, widowhood disninheritance, domestic violence and attempted murder as well as wife battery were settled while six for widow disinheritance and assault for 2016.
In 2017, three of the eight cases of widow inheritance, assault and defilement were settled, while four cases of defilement, rape and widow inheritance are pending in court.
“One case of defilement was charged to court. The accused person was jailed; the girl was adopted by an NGO for care. After delivery, the girl was enrolled in school while the baby is taken by the NGO,” the report stated.
In January this year, the case of wife battery was settled and the man started paying maintenance fee for the children.
