Isaac Ombe, Yenagoa
Concerned by out-of-court settlements of gender-based cases, wife of Bayelsa State governor, Dr. (Mrs.) Gloria Diri, has led gender-based advocacy groups on a campaign to reaffirm the need to go through normal court processes of such cases in the state.
The state’s police Command reaffirmed its readiness to thoroughly investigate gender-based cases as leader of Gender Response Initiative team lauds wife of the governor.
Mrs. Diri led a delegation of gender-based advocacy groups to the headquarters of the state’s Police Command on the need for police to accelerate investigations into cases bothering on sexual and gender-based violence in the state.
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Accompanied by other stakeholders and members of the Gender Response Initiative team, last weekend, the Bayelsa State First Lady spoke against the attempts by offenders to negotiate with the victim’s family out of court.
She reaffirmed that the position of the team and the State as a whole is an affirmative ‘No’ to settlement of sexual and Gender Based Violence cases out of court.
Responding to the First Lady’s demands, the state’s Commissioner of Police, Mr. Ben Ikoli, represented by Deputy Commissioner of Police (Administration), assured the delegation of the Command’s preparedness to ensure all cases of gender-based violence are thoroughly investigated and promptly prosecuted too.
Barr. Dise Sheila Ogbise, the Chairman of Gender Response Initiative team in the state, who lauded steps taken by the First Lady, noted that her gesture has reaffirmed again the commitment of Her Excellency to end issues of sexual and Gender-Based Violence cases in the state.
She added that the step taken by the wife of the governor would serve as a loud warning to intending perpetrators of Gender based Violence.
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“This is indeed a loud positive statement made by the First lady and which will not be forgotten by all Bayelsans,” she added.
Other members on the First Lady’s team included members of the Gender Response Initiative team, the Director of center for women Development, the Head of Gender Unit State Ministry of Justice, Pere Amanda Egbuson esq, female Engineers, State Chairperson of FIDA, Deme Pamosoo Esq, Chairperson FOMWAN and other women led organisations including the Former Vice
President, NAWOJ, South-South zone, Mrs. Timi Idoko, Mrs. Victoria Feboke and all
former Chairpersons of the Nigerian Association of Women Journalist (NAWOJ), in Bayelsa State.