NAN
The Commissioner of Police in Gombe State, Mr Shina Olukolu, on Friday advised women in the state to always report cases of domestic violence.
Olukolu who gave this advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Gombe said domestic violence was poorly reported in Gombe, and that there was need for women to speak up.
He said the statistics on domestic violence in the state had been very low in the past three years, noting that most women were afraid of reporting it to save their marriages amongst other reasons.
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According to him, the police are now better trained and abreast of the current ways of handling domestic violence to ensure that lives are protected and needed counselling given by personnel of the command.
“Domestic violence is as old as the human race, so gaining global attention is expected. However, in Gombe the case has not been given prominence in view of the available statistics.
“The statistics have almost remained same for the past three years. In 2015, 21 cases were handled by the police, in 2016, 20 and in 2017, 20 cases. So the statistics is insignificant.
“The statistics we have is due to poor reportage of such cases. Most women are afraid to report and then lose their marriages amongst other reasons. So they tend to bottle up issues like these.
“There is need for the women to speak up, seek help and advice by reporting to the security agencies so as to prevent subsequent victimisation which may lead to death,” he said.
The police commissioner emphasised that the command was committed to resolving issues and not breaking homes as feared by most victims.
“I want to inform the public that our gender-based unit has been given series of trainings within and outside the state to handle issues of domestic violence so as to protect lives.
“Our personnel are now well exposed to the mechanism and understanding of the nature of reactions by women to issues that result to marital conflicts and how to resolve these issues.
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“All cases we have received so far were minor and the police have handled them through counselling and legal means.
Most of those victimised women are living peacefully in their homes with the protection they deserved.
“Such issues must be reported so as to call the offenders to order at an early stage in view of the danger of such violence leading to the death of any of the partners,” he said.
Olukolu appealed to all stakeholders to sensitise the public on the need to control their emotions at home, and that the implications of domestic violence on the children was devastating.