The Federal Government is set to commence investigations into allegations of women harassment by some officials of the Abuja authorities. This is foll
The Federal Government is set to commence investigations into allegations of women harassment by some officials of the Abuja authorities. This is following the criticism Nigerians unleashed on the Acting Secretary of the FCT Social Development Secretariat, Hajiya Safiya Umar, over the alleged indiscriminate arrest of ladies and raids on several nightclubs in Abuja.
“It has been brought to our attention that an old video of Hajia Safiya Umar, the acting Secretary to the FCT Social Development Secretariat is making the rounds again in social media. For the sake of public information, please be assured that regarding the matter of the alleged harrassment of women in Abuja and the old video, the Federal Government has since taken concerted actions.
“This is particularly regarding the raids of women in night clubs and the streets of Abuja that were purportedly carried out by AEPB and the FCT Joint task force. Under the direction of the Presidency, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has constituted a special panel of investigation to look into these issue not just in Abuja but in other parts of the country.
“The panel will be sitting in the 6 geo-political zones as scheduled below:
Abuja – 14-16 Nov 2019
Lagos – 20-22Nov 2019
Kaduna – 2-4 dec 2019
Owerri- 13-14 Jan 2020
P/H- 16-17 Jan 2020
Gombe- 27- 29 Jan 2020
“Interested members of the public are advised to submit memoranda to NHRC. Please ignore the recirculation of the old video as government is doing the needful and will keep the public abreast through the work of the NHRC.”
In the past few months, there have been several reports of indiscriminate arrest and harassment of ladies in the capital city over alleged acts that do not conform with the city laws. Recall that in April 2019, no fewer than 70 ladies were arrested at different nightclubs in Abuja on allegations they were sex workers. The arrest of the ladies sparked uproar on social media when they claimed they were raped, sexually harassed and extorted by security operatives.
Months later, a new report by David Hundeyin of NewsWire titled “The Untold Story of the AEPB, Abuja’s Uniformed Female Harassment Unit” which detailed the ordeal of the ladies arrested and how the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) has been culpable in the alleged extortion and harassment of young women in Abuja metropolis.
Hundeyin’s report has indicted Umar as being the mastermind of the series of harassment ladies now experience in Abuja.
“Under her instruction, hundreds of women including nursing mothers were raped, assaulted, kidnapped and unlawfully detained in filthy conditions,” the report said.
The report on the activities of Safiya, and a viral video in which she is seen vehemently condemning ‘indecent dressing’, sparked uproar on Twitter on Thursday as some Nigerians criticise her over claims that she wants to turn Abuja into a Sharia city.
A Twitter user alleged a few months ago that Abuja police specially stop and search female passengers in taxis, which forced many to start sitting at the front posing as taxi drivers’ wife because that is the only way to escape being harassed by law enforcement agencies.
