By DADA AYOKHAI
BENIN CITY – The Edo State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Hon. Eugenia Abdallah, has disclosed that 50 per cent of child abuse and molestation cases recorded in the state between January and July 2026 were allegedly perpetrated by the victims’ fathers.
Speaking on Thursday during the monthly media briefing organised by the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Prince Kassim Afegbua, she said the state recorded no fewer than 70 cases of child abuse and molestation within the 7-month period.
Hon. Abdallah described the trend as disturbing and called for increased public awareness, community involvement, and stronger legal actions to protect children from abuse within homes.
She reaffirmed the commitment of the Senator Monday Okpebholo administration to ensuring that perpetrators are prosecuted and that victims receive adequate support, counselling, and rehabilitation.
The Commissioner urged parents, guardians, teachers, and community leaders to report cases of abuse promptly to relevant authorities, noting that silence and cover-ups only embolden perpetrators.
“We have recorded 70 cases of abuse of minors between January and July this year. We have prosecuted several of these cases in court.
“50 per cent of these minors are abused by their own fathers, with the victims ranging from two to 10 years old.
“For instance, there is a little girl currently in our custody who was impregnated by her father. She is just 14 years old and is eight months pregnant as we speak,” she said.
According to her, the victim’s neighbour reported the case to the ministry after the father, having perpetrated the act, ran away from the house.
She said the minor was pleading with the government not to have her father arrested, saying that she loves her father.
“Survivors are not merely heard but supported; women are not merely trained but provided opportunities for economic advancement; and social-protection programmes increasingly produce measurable outcomes.”
Also speaking, the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Kassim Afegbua, lamented that social vices in society had become very endemic and pervasive, disclosing that a six-year-old girl was defiled and molested before she was rescued by the state government.
He, however, advocated that punitive measures be taken against those molesting children.
50 Percent Of Child Abuse Cases In Edo Perpetrated By Fathers – Commissioner
