The new Commissioner of Police in Adamawa, Adamu Aliyu Alhaji has vowed to deal with perpetrators of rape and warned police officers handling rape cases and other crimes against compromising their responsibility in the discharge of their duties.
Adamu made the remark in his office at the Police headquarters Yola, when a civil society organization “Adamawa Coalition Against Rape (ACAR) led by the convener Hajiya Asma’u Joda paid him a courtesy call, stressing that it is demoralizing that a reported rape case is being misreported.
“I will not condone any officers who compromise his work, we are all parents and we have children, we should take it upon ourselves that rape case is our own problems and not the parents of the victims alone”.
“We are going to address the issue of rape wholeheartedly so that the issue of rape in our society is reduce to the barest minimum or eradicated totally”, he said.
The Commissioner of Police who expressed appreciation for the visit and the activities being carried out by the Coalition, said it is a welcome development of joining hands together to fight the menace in the society.
He maintained that for the war against rape and other crimes to succeed, all hands must be on deck, stressed the need for the organization to sensitize parents of the victims on the benefits for them to be part and parcel of pursing their case to logical conclusion.
“I want to solicit from you to sensitize and enlighten parents not to abandon their case, even if they were told by the Investigative Police Officer (IPO) to obtain an affidavit regarding the case”.
Adamu assured parents of the victims that doors of the Command are always open to entertain any of their grievances so as to checkmate any obstacles that hinders them from getting justice within the Police circle.
He explained that the force is serving humanity; and urged the general public to furnish them with all relevant information on any issue that will make Adamawa a crime free society.
Earlier, the Convener of the Coalition, Hajiya Asma’u Joda pleaded for partnership with the Police in the fight against rape in the state, maintained that the coalition is confidence that with the caliber of the Commissioner of Police, the issue of rape will be address squarely in Adamawa.
“We are here to plead with the Police and we believe that the Nigeria police have the ambition to see the crime has reduced, the more you reduce the crime the better for all of us, the more we concentrate on development.
“There is no development as long as we are killing ourselves, raping ourselves, stealing from each other”, she said.
In a remark, Adamu Dodo, Head of media of the coalition, said the coalition plays the role of whistle blower, but some Police and other authorities mistook them as part of the family of the victims.
“We tend to be mistaken as a body that interprets or administers the law, ours is to report and to supervise to ensure justice is done to the survivor, but at the end of the day we are being involved in what we ought to be against the criminals.
“Most often than not, we are being invited as if we are part of the survivors, when we are standing for survivors and helping the authority to ensure that these things are nip in the bud”, he said.
