By: Adelowo Oladipo, Minna
The Director -General, Niger State Child Rights and Protection Agency, Hajiya Ummul Mohammed, has said that the agency had recorded at least 192 cases of child abuse and rights violations between November 2025 and June 2026, ranging from rape and maltreatment to trafficking, forced marriage, abandonment, and denial of child maintenance.
She made the disclosure in an interview with Newsmen in Minna, noting that despite numerous challenges, the agency has continued to intervene in cases across the state’s 25 Local Government Areas.
Hajiya Ummul, who assumed office in November 2025, said the agency documented 30 cases in November, 31 in February, 30 in March, 40 in April, 27 in May, and 30 in June.
She explained that the violations included child maintenance disputes, maltreatment, missing children, forced marriage, rape, abandonment, denial of pregnancy and paternity, among others.
According to her, the agency also handled cases of child trafficking, domestic servitude, street hawking, and children taken away under the guise of Islamic education.
She cited the case of a boy, Umaru, brought from Agaie to Minna for Islamic studies but found in an inadequate learning environment.
“The agency intervened and the child’s father, along with another person connected to the case, are now facing prosecution,” she said.
The Director-General revealed that the agency recently facilitated the return of a missing child to her parents in another state, and rescued a young girl brought from Jos, Plateau State to Niger State to work as a domestic servant.
Similar interventions, she said, were carried out in Wushishi, Kontagora, Local Government Areas of the State and other parts of the state.
Hajiya Ummul stressed the importance of public sensitisation, particularly in rural communities where many parents and children remain unaware of their rights.
She said the agency had embarked on sensitization visits to schools in Dutsen-Kura and Maitumbi, urging teachers to report suspected cases of abuse.
“The response from schools has been encouraging,” she noted, citing a case where a school reported a father who allegedly assaulted his daughter.
She identified inadequate mobility as one of the agency’s major challenges, explaining that many victims and complainants were vulnerable people who could not afford transportation for follow-up services.
To ease access, she abolished charges previously imposed for filing complaints, stressing that, “Victims can now come forward and lodge complaints without paying,” while appealing for more vehicles and logistical support to reach communities across the vast state.
The Director-General, however attributed rising cases of child abuse and gender-based violence largely to poverty and ignorance, saying that many parents, unable to provide for their children, send them away to work as domestic servants, exposing them to exploitation.
She warned that parents who neglect their children would face legal consequences, noting that the agency recently rescued 19 children found at mining sites, the youngest about eight years old, while their parents were compelled to sign bonds of five million naira per child as a deterrent against sending them back to the mines.
The agency’s medical unit, she added, referred several children to hospitals for treatment following suspected rape, physical abuse, and other maltreatment.
“We have referred about 15 cases for medical attention since May 2026, with many of the affected children aged between nine and 16,” she said.
On prosecution, Hajiya Ummul confirmed that several cases, including rape and attempted rape, were currently before different courts.
She said her background in the judiciary had helped her maintain cordial working relationships with judicial officers and stakeholders in pursuing justice for abused children.
She commended the Niger State Government, particularly Governor Mohammed Umar Bago and the First Lady, Hajiya Fatima Mohammed Bago, for their support, as well as the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development.
However, she called on traditional rulers, Local Government Councils, philanthropists, civil society organisations, and other stakeholders to join the fight against child abuse and trafficking.
“We have to work together. These are our children and they are our responsibility,” she said.
Hajiya Ummul reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to protecting the rights and interests of every child in Niger State, vowing to take legal action against parents or individuals found violating those rights.
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