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AMAC Raises Alarm Over Rising GBV Cases In Abuja
The Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) has raised concern over rising cases of gender-based violence (GBV) in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), urging victims and witnesses to speak out and seek help.
The council also disclosed that it recently rescued a girl who was trafficked from Benue State to Abuja under the guise of employment and subsequently forced into prostitution.
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja at the weekend, the Special Adviser on Women Affairs to the AMAC Chairman, Hon. Loveth Izekor, said GBV was not limited to rural communities, stressing that women and girls in the FCT were also exposed to various forms of abuse.
Izekor, who spoke on the theme, “Unite to Protect: Empowering AMAC Women Through Knowledge and Action,” said one of the major challenges in tackling GBV was that many victims did not recognise that they were being abused
She said societal expectations, stigma and fear of judgment had also discouraged victims from speaking out or seeking assistance.
“Most people don’t even know they have been abused. They don’t even know they are victims of such circumstances. They feel like, okay, it is right; what this person is doing to me, what my husband or whoever is doing to me, what this woman is doing to that child is right, is disciplining the child and all that,” she said.
According to her, the normalisation of abusive behaviour had made it difficult for some victims to identify harmful situations and seek intervention.
“There are so many barriers. Even society, I think, the shame of even coming out to speak or seek help,” she said.
Giving an insight into cases that had come to her attention since she assumed office about three months ago, Izekor said her office recently intervened in the case of a girl who was brought to Abuja from Benue State purportedly to secure employment.
“Getting here, she realised that it just was not work. Unfortunately for her, she was brought here for prostitution. And she fled from the place seeking help,” she said.
Izekor said the case highlighted the need for stronger community-level awareness and intervention to protect women and girls from trafficking and other forms of abuse.
“This is happening in FCT. A lot of these cases are happening,” she said.
She said some of the cases brought to her office had been critical, prompting the council to strengthen its efforts to protect women and girls and improve access to support services.
Izekor said AMAC’s 12 wards covered a wide range of communities beyond the city centre, making it necessary to take sensitisation programmes directly to residents at the grassroots.
She said: “Abuja Municipal Area Council is a very big area council. With communities in Karshi, Kuje, Bwari, Orozo, so many communities; it is not limited to the city centre alone.
“We have a lot of work to do. We have women, we have communities to understand more, to know their rights more, to understand more what gender-based violence is, so that we can stand united to address such matters.”
The council, she said, had also unveiled an emergency intervention helpline to enable residents to report cases, request urgent intervention and access appropriate security, legal, healthcare and other support services.
Izekor urged women to create safe spaces where victims could seek help without fear, while calling on residents who witnessed abuse to report such cases.
She said the campaign would involve traditional rulers, royal mothers, ward and community coordinators, councillors’ wives and women leaders, who would work with the council to take sensitisation and orientation programmes to communities.
“As women, we also need to come together and stand united against gender-based violence, and also educate our younger ones, the girl child, to know their rights as females, to know when to speak up, to know when to say no and all that,” she said.
The Special Adviser also called on traditional and religious leaders to use their influence to promote the dignity and protection of women and girls.
She said the council was still working to understand the scale of GBV in its communities, urging residents not to ignore cases of abuse or wait until they became critical before seeking help.
President Bola Tinubu has approved N45 billion for the deployment of an integrated biosecurity and disease surveillance system at five international airports to boost Nigeria’s capacity to detect and respond to emerging infectious disease threats.
The Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Ali Pate, disclosed this on Wednesday after the Federal Executive Council, FEC, meeting presided over by President Tinubu.
He listed the five airports as Lagos, Abuja, Kano, Port Harcourt, and Enugu airports.
According to the minister, the project will be delivered through a 20-year public-private partnership with the BioHealth Consortium, using technologies such as aircraft wastewater surveillance, air and surface sampling, and specialised pathogen detection systems
Pate added that the system would monitor a broad range of dangerous pathogens, improve inter-agency coordination, and strengthen health security at Nigeria’s borders.
The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC, has rejected the Federal Government’s proposed N70,000 monthly wage award for federal workers, insisting that the government can afford to increase the salary of the lowest-paid worker to N300,000.
The proposal followed a meeting between the Federal Government and the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC.
In a statement signed by its President-General, Festus Osifo, and Secretary, Nuhu Toro, the TUC said workers needed a meaningful salary increase rather than temporary financial support that might not reach everyone.
The union also called for the implementation of the agreement with the Joint Health Sector Unions, JOHESU, citing the economic difficulties facing workers and other Nigerians.
“Our position is unequivocal: workers are not asking for favours; they are demanding social and economic justice that protects their dignity and livelihoods,” the statement said.
The TUC argued that the previous wage award introduced in October 2023 was not fully implemented before a new minimum wage was agreed in 2024.
According to the union, some workers were paid for only one or two months, while others received nothing.
It also criticised the irregular payment of the earlier N40,000 wage award, saying some workers received payments covering up to four months but not on a consistent monthly basis.
The union further claimed that more than 80 per cent of state governments and the informal sector did not implement any form of wage award.
It questioned why the government was proposing another temporary payment when previous commitments remained unfulfilled.
“How can workers be expected to trust fresh promises when previous obligations remain outstanding?” the TUC asked.
The union maintained that a salary increase would provide more reliable support than a temporary wage award, particularly as workers continue to struggle with rising living costs.
It said negotiations over a new national minimum wage should not prevent the government from granting an urgent pay rise.
The TUC also stressed that the economic crisis was affecting more than federal employees. State and local government workers, pensioners, private-sector employees and people working in the informal economy were also facing higher costs for food, transport, healthcare and other basic needs.
It urged governments at all levels to take practical steps to reduce the cost of essential goods and services, pay salaries and pensions on time, protect existing jobs and tackle exploitative labour practices.
The union also called for renewed efforts to strengthen the productive sector and create decent employment opportunities.
The Special Adviser to Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf on Publicity, Ahmad Aruwa, has appointed his son, Aliyu Ahmed, as Chief of Staff.
His son is among the five persons whose appointments were announced on Tuesday, October 27, 2026.
Other appointees are Habibu Liman as Private Secretary; Adamu Mai Salati as Protocol Officer; Isa Ahmed Don as Director-General, Media and Communication; and Musa Muhammad Daurawa as Personal Assistant.
In his remarks after receiving the appointment letter, Aruwa pledged to justify the confidence reposed in him by the governor through dedication, loyalty and commitment to duty.
“Let me categorically make it clear that my leader is Abba, my political boss is Abba, and my political party is Abba.”
He added that he would work tirelessly for the governor and support his success at all levels.
Aruwa also commended his media team for their support and commitment, expressing confidence that they would continue to work together to promote the policies, programmes and achievements of the Kano State Government.
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