The Sokoto State Hisbah Commission, on Thursday, said it recorded 59 rape cases in the state in 2017 and blamed parents for the rising cases of the menace.
The Chairman of the commission, Dr Adamu Kasarawa, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Sokoto that some parents were not mindful of the whereabouts of their wards.
“Moreover, some parents allow their daughters to be relating freely with their male maids who in some cases end up molestating the girls.”
Kasarawa added that the 59 cases recorded this year had, however, reduced, comparing with 159 cases recorded in 2016.
He further accused some village heads of collecting bribes to conceal cases of rapes in their domains.
He said “some village heads demand for bribe from suspected rapists to conceal their atrocities: they even prevail on parents of the victims not to report the case to security agencies.”
The chairman said cases recorded had been handed over to National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons and other Related Offences (NAPTIP) and the Police for further action.