Not less than 10 girls raped daily in Rivers State

The Rivers State Commissioner for Social Welfare and Rehabilitation, Joe Poroma, has said that “not less than 10″ girls are raped everyday in the state.

Mr. Poroma disclosed this while testifying before the ongoing Rivers State Commission of Inquiry into politically-motivated killings and destruction of properties before and during the 2015 general elections.

“The statistics are very high,” Mr. Poroma said. “Not less than 10 girls are raped every day in the state mostly by gangs and militants.”

Mr. Poroma said his ministry’s collaboration with Doctors Without Borders helped rape victims in the state come out for adequate medical care.

“Usually, they don’t report to the police or their parents for fear of victimisation,” he said.

The Commissioner said the rape cases are not due to political issues and attributed the high crime rate in the state because people who commit the crimes go scot-free.

“My hope is that there is a need for us to arrest the situation whereby police will do what they are supposed to do,” said Mr. Poroma.

In 2012, more than 1,200 girls were allegedly raped in Rivers State, according to the Centre for Environment, Human Rights and Development.