The Nigeria Police Force has disclosed that it received a total of 717 rape cases between January and May 2020.

The figure was disclosed by the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, while speaking with journalists after a closed-door meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

According to Adamu, the cases hugely escalated during the total lockdown imposed in the country to curb the spread of COVID-19.

He described rape as a very wicked and serious offence saying it is very wicked for an individual to engage in rape or defilement. 

He said, “The Nigeria Police, so far from January 2020 till May 2020, we have recorded about 717 rape incidents that are reported across the country and about 799 suspects were so far arrested with 631 of them conclusively investigated and charged to court and we have so far about 52 cases remaining that are under investigation.”

Adamu added that the police and other security agencies were collaborating to ensure they curb of rape cases in the country.

He noted that some people engaged in rape for ritual purposes, urging Nigerians to always report rape cases in order to ensure victims get justice.

 He added, “The police and other security agencies and other Non-Governmental Organisations have been collaborating, to see to it that these cases of rape and gender-based violence are dealt with.

“There are a lot of causes, some are doing it for ritual purposes, some are doing it because they are within the family and they see the victims and have the urge to go into it and do it but such people should not be allowed to go scot-free.

“I will call on every Nigerian that comes across any victim of sexual offences, rape, or gender-based violence to quickly report to law enforcement agents because keeping it without reporting will give room for the perpetrators to continue to commit the offences.”