Worried by the kidnapping and gruesome murder of five-year-old, Hanifa Abubakar, by the proprietor of her school after collecting N6 million ransom from her parent, the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ) has tasked government to ensure justice in the case and other similar cases.
NAWOJ National President, Ladi Bala, in a press statement in Abuja, described Kidnapping and murder of Hanifa as one of the most horrific, barbaric, and inhuman evil acts of wickedness recorded in recent times.
“The killing of the innocent Nigerian child by the proprietor of her school, smirks of gross betrayal of trust which the little girl and her parent reposed in the institution and the proprietor,” thebstayement read in part.
NAWOJ decried the fact that cases of kidnapping and killing for ransom and ritual purposes had assumed a frightening dimension making life unsafe for Nigerians, especially women and children.
“Killings, kidnappings, sexual and gender based violence are taking severe toll on women and girls, who are the soft targets of evil perpetrators.
“The case of Aisha Umar, an IDP, who was lured and raped by an humanitarian provider that led her to commit suicide in Maiduguri, Borno state; the brutal murder of the son of Gender Activist, Madam Ene Ede, in Abuja, by yet to be identified murderers, among others, are all indicators that all is not well in our dear country.
“As mothers, we overcome with pains that this is no longer the Nigeria we grew up to know, where the care for the younger generation was the responsibility of all adults and the community as a whole.
“As mothers, we appeal to Nigerians to be more vigilant, security conscious as well as report suspicious characters to security agencies.
“Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) must speak out against these evil acts and demand justice for victims of ritual killings and sexual abuse in Nigeria,” the women journalists declared.
