Musdapha Ilo, Maiduguri

The National Human Right Commission, NHRC, has said that about 2,000 human rights violation cases, including rape and torture, were recorded in Borno state in the last four years.

The NHRC co coordinator in Borno state, Babangida Labaran, made the disclosure on Wednesday while speaking to journalists in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.

According to Labaran, other cases of human rights abuses are destruction of property, torture and brutality by security agencies and cases arising from domestic family dispute and violations against the rights of children by parents.

Confirming the increase in the incidence of human rights violations in the state, he said that the rise, especially in rape cases, is attributable to the reluctance of parents to report and seek prosecute perpetrators.

To reduce the rising incidence of rape, Labaran urged parents, especially mothers, women, to be more vigilant and show more concern about their children’s welfare, while advising them to report all cases of rape.

Otherwise, he said, the perpetrators would be emboldened and the incidence of rape would continue to increase.

“We have recorded about 50 rape cases in 2014 while so many of these cases we just hear them in town while the offenders go unpunished. Parents should know that they are not helping their children by accepting to settle rape cases out of court”, Labaran said.

Speaking further, he stated: “They are killing the future of such children. You cannot quantify the pains encountered by the victims with monetary settlement. My advice for women is that they should rise up to fight any form of abuse against women, particularly rape and defilement.”