Wednesday, 22 March 2017

Ogun To Treat Wife Beaters As Criminals – Amosun

The Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, has said men who are fond of battering their wives in the state will henceforth be treated as criminals and will face prosecution.

He said this on Wednesday at the June 12 Cultural Centre, Kuto, Abeokuta, after an advocacy walk against gender-based violence, organised by Women Arise in conjunction with the state government.

The governor noted that women play a major role in nation building by nurturing their children, and taking care of the homefront, arguing that any form of violence against women was violence against humanity.

Amosun said anyone who violated the rights of women was a criminal and must be prosecuted adding that the state would no longer tolerate such despicable act.

He said, “Anyone that violates the rights of women is a criminal, he must be prosecuted. We will not tolerate violence against women.

“We say capital no to rape, women battery, assault, child abuse and kidnapping of women. Everyday we are witnessing domestic violence against women; women being beaten to a state of coma. This is not right.

“Women are our wives, they are our daughters and mothers, we must take care of them. When the home is okay, the local government will be okay, when this is okay, state will be okay and the nation will be okay.

“Thank God our lawmakers are here, they will expedite action on the bill on violence against women. As a government, we will support initiative like this, when there is no violence of any form in the state, investors will come.”

The wife of the governor, Mrs. Olufunso Amosun, earlier in her remark, described women as nation builders and must be protected from abuse and violence.

The convener of the advocacy walk, Dr Okei-Odumakin, said the walk was to create awareness on violence against women such as rape, battery, domestic violence,  assault and other forms of abuses.

She said one out of three women in Nigeria suffered abuse and said no fewer than five deaths were recorded in Lagos last year from violence against women.

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