By Shafa’atu Suleiman, Sokoto
The Sokoto State Chapter of the Gender-Based Violence/Child Protection Response Team (SGBV/RT) has urged the Nigeria Police and the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) to end what it described as a “hide-and-seek game” and immediately prosecute Fausiyya Rabo over the alleged trafficking, abuse, and torture of 14-year-old Bashariya Usman.
The team expressed their concern during a meeting over what it called “prolonged silence” from relevant authorities. They warned that any element of compromise could “hamper justice” in the case.
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According to the SGBV/RT, a formal complaint was lodged with the Director-General of NAPTIP through its Sokoto Zonal Command.
The petition alleged that Fausiyya Rabo employed Bashariya, whose parents fled banditry in Zamfara State to seek refuge in Sokoto, and took her to Abuja as a housemaid under the pretext of providing her with a better life and enrolling her in a part-time school.
However, upon arrival in Abuja, Fausiyya allegedly subjected the teenager to starvation, excessive household chores, beatings, emotional abuse, isolation, and torture, among other degrading treatment.
The Sokoto SGBV/RT, a coalition of civil society organisations, community-based groups, and representatives from key ministries and agencies, vowed to strengthen collaboration to close identified gaps in service delivery for survivors of gender-based violence (GBV), harmful practices (HP), and other forms of abuse.
It could be recalled that a disturbing video of the battered teenager surfaced on social media on June 4, 2025, sparking outrage over the level of cruelty allegedly meted out to the girl.
During the meeting, the Chairman of the Sokoto SGBV/RT, Malam Rabiu Gandi, commended members for their sustained commitment to the cause of building a society free from violence, whether emotional, psychological, physical, or economic.
Presenting July’s case statistics, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) reported three GBV cases, including one of sodomy and two of rape. The Sokoto State Police Command disclosed it had recorded 15 GBV cases since January—10 rape, one defilement, one criminal conspiracy and rape, three sodomy, and one criminal conspiracy and child stealing.
Speaking on the link between insecurity and rising cases of abuse, Baba Shehu Usman, Regional Coordinator of the Grassroots Initiative for Strengthening Community Resilience (GISCOR), said no fewer than 15,000 people have been displaced from communities in Sabon Birni and Isa LGAs of Sokoto State, heightening their vulnerability to sexual violence. He appealed for urgent government intervention.
Those in attendance at the meeting included the State Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), the National President of NACTAL, the State Director of Public Prosecution, gender desk officers from the police, NSCDC, and NAPTIP, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry for Women and Children Affairs, the Gender Focal Officer of the State Primary Health Care, leaders of CSOs and CBOs, and representatives of various media houses.
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