Olawale Jokotoye

Gov. Dapo Abiodun of Ogun on Monday said  that his administration would stop at nothing to punish  cases of sexual violence and allied offences.

Abiodun said  this when he received  in his office an anti- sexual and gender-based rally led by his wife, Mrs Bamidele Abiodun.

The governor  assured the team  that all cases that affect the safety of women would not just be expeditiously tried, but culprits would be dealt with.

He added that the state government had charged its public prosecution team to ensure that all cases relating to violence against women were fast-tracked and offenders brought to book.

Abiodun said that the state government had also directed its Violence against Persons Prohibition Committee to ensure sensitisation and education  of the public on issues surrounding the illegal acts.

He also said that the state executive council including the state  Attorney-General had met to consider all issues pertaining  to the girl child, women deprivation and all other forms of abuses against women.

“On May 13, we set up a committee: the Violence against Persons Prohibition Committee.

“There is a law that was passed in 2017, but nothing happened.

“What we did was to sit down with our Attorney-General and the rest of our team and this committee was charged to look into all the issues that have to do with the girl child and all forms of  abuses against women.

“This, we did, even before the incident of the girl in Edo,” he said.

Abiodun described the walk staged by the high-profile women in the state as “profound and a move in the right direction”.

He assured them that violence against women in any form, either domestic violence or rape, would not be condoned in the state.

“It is very profound that this walk has further demonstrated our intolerance for violence against women in any form, and please note that we have already taken up the case of a lady who was recently raped in the state.

“The lady in question has suffered spinal cord injuries as a result of multiple rape incidences.

“The case of the  girl in Edo state is just one case of rape too many because we have a similar case in Ogun,” he said.

Earlier in her remarks, the First Lady, Mrs Bamidele  Abiodun, who  convened  the rally, called for collective condemnation against cases of violence against women.

“There is an urgent need to speak up against such heinous crime in the society,” she added.

She added that her office was working with the Violence against Persons Prohibition Committee to ensure an effective, comprehensive and coordinated response to cases of sexual and gender based violence in the state.

Mrs Abiodun also called for more involvement of men in national conversation on violence against women.

A notable Nollywood actress, Iyabo Ojo, who was part of the rally commended Mrs Abiodun for the initiative against rape and violence against women.