The Edo State Government says more than 70 cases of child defilement were recorded across the state between January and July 2026, with fathers accounting for more than half of the reported cases.
The Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Eugenia Abdallah, disclosed this on Thursday at the bi-monthly press conference organised by the Ministry of Information and Strategy.
Abdallah said many of the victims were children between the ages of two and 10, with some allegedly abused by their fathers.
“Mostly, 50 per cent are abused by their own fathers, with the victims ranging from two to 10 years,” she said.
She also disclosed the case of a 14-year-old girl who is currently in the custody of the state government and is eight months pregnant after allegedly being impregnated by her father.
According to the commissioner, the case was reported by a neighbour. She said the girl initially told officials that she had lost her father and pleaded that he should not be arrested, even though she was the only person who could provide information on his whereabouts.
Abdallah said the state government was committed to protecting vulnerable residents and ensuring that survivors of abuse receive the necessary support.
She added that victims were being provided with opportunities for economic empowerment, while social protection programmes were being strengthened to deliver measurable results.
Edo defends motorcycle ban
Also speaking at the briefing, the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Kassim Afegbua, reiterated the state government’s ban on motorcycle operations in the Benin metropolis.
Afegbua said the restriction was introduced strictly for security reasons, citing reports of motorcycles being used in kidnappings and robberies.
“We are not pretending about it. The reason why this was done was purely for security reasons,” he said.
He added that criminals sometimes use motorcycles to transport victims to isolated locations before dispossessing them of their belongings.
EdoGIS blames fake documents for delays
Meanwhile, the Managing Director of the Edo State Geographic Information Service, Innocent Bello, attributed delays in processing land documents to the discovery of fraudulent applications.
Bello said some applications contained fake survey plans, tax clearance certificates and identification documents.
“What is responsible for most of the delay in land document processing is the detection of fake application documents in many cases,” he said.
