The Police Command in Rivers State on Friday assured that it would ensure the prosecution of anyone found culpable of sexual assault in the state.
Mr Joseph Mukan, Commissioner of Police in the state, gave the assurance in Port Harcourt while receiving a petition from a coalition of Civil Society Organizations (CSO), protesting rising rape cases in the country.
Mukan, in a statement by the command’s spokesman, Mr Nnamdi Omoni, said the command was yet to receive any complaint of rape in the state, but that measures had been put in place to tackle the crime.
He said: “We assure that your (protesters) concerns will be given adequate attention, though the command is yet to record any such violence.
“The command has put in place proactive measures, including the creation of gender desks in all Police formations across the command to tackle the menace.”
The police commissioner said that the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, had directed the creation of special desks to address incessant sexual assaults on women and children.
“We appeal to parents and guardians to increase their security consciousness and monitor the movements and activities of their children.
“They should also damn the consequences of social stigmatization.
“In addition, the command will deal with erring officers that are found to compromise the process and compound felonies,” he said.
The statement said the protesters led by Dr Christie Iwezor and Mrs Ngozi Ighosevbe, had earlier appealed to the Police Commissioner to urgently address their concerns and reduce the crime of rape and other gender-based violence against women and girls.
Some of the CSOs that participated in the peaceful protest include, the Association Against Child Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (AACSGBV) and the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA).
Others are Medical Women Association of Nigeria, Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), Nigerian Girls Guide Association and Niger Delta Students Union, among others.
