Sexual Harassment: Governor Shettima To Request Undercover Detectives In IDPs’ Camps

 

Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima, says he plans to request for the deployment of female and male undercover detectives to all Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps in the state.

Following recent report of the Human Rights Watch that some government officials sexually harass female IDPs in camps, Governor Shettima believes the detectives can spy on the culprits and bring them to book.

He made the disclosure on Tuesday during at a meeting with a delegation from the National University Commission on tour of ongoing infrastructure at the proposed Borno State University in Maduguri. 

The governor plans to write to the Inspector General of Police, the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), the National Agency for Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) and the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

He was hopeful that deployment of undercover agents would be a permanent measure in addition to the urgent need for investigation of the report by the Human Rights Watch.

The agency, in its report ‎released days ago, claimed some female IDPs it interviewed said they were sexually harassed by some security officials, to the extent of getting them pregnant.

“Today, as Governor of Borno State, there is no issue that gives me headache like the unfortunate bye-products of IDP camps. Our citizens were violently sent out of their houses and communities. It is their fundamental rights to be provided alternative accommodation with their food and health catered for.

“Sadly and very sadly indeed, the IDPs’ camps have become avenues that horrible stories of sexual slavery, prostitution rings, drug peddling and other social vices are emanating from. Only yesterday (Monday) there was a report by a Human Rights group alleging incidences of sexual abuses by some Federal and State workers in some of the IDP camps. This is highly condemnable.