“NAPTIP had issued this directive to state commands for rapid response mechanism, and also effective prosecution of all cases involving child abuse and sexual assault,” Adamu-Bello said.
She particularly mentioned the arrest of a middle-aged woman by the operatives of the agency in Abuja who was accused of giving out her teenage daughter for sexual pleasure in exchange for money.
She described the development as the highest form of cruelty against the child, which she said would attract the maximum penalty.
“I am personally disturbed as a mother and as the Director-General of NAPTIP, by the reported cases of some parents aiding and abetting the sexual abuse of their children for monetary benefits.
“From the reports being received both at the headquarters and in our commands across the country, it appears that this unhealthy development is on the increase.
“I cannot imagine that a mother would agree to give out her daughter to men for sexual pleasure in return for money or other benefits,” she said.
“It is painful to know that the very person in a position of authority, either as a parent or guardian to protect and defend the child, and whom the child trusted so much, is the same person who either abuses or aids the child’s sexual assault.
“In reaction to this trend, NAPTIP had strengthened monitoring mechanisms as well as enforcement, parents or guardians indulging in these obnoxious practices would have the agency to contend with in the Court of Law,” she warned.
