By Patrick TIitus, Uyo
Akwa Ibom State has recorded 161 fresh cases of gender-based violence (GBV) between January and May 2026 alone with spousal battery topping the chart. This is even as the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Law has been emplaced in the state.
According to the statistics released by the Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Response Department of the State’s Ministry of Justice, during the flag-off of the June 2026 Gender-Based Violence Awareness Month in Uyo on Tuesday, 27 cases were recorded in January, February 23, March 28, while April and May recorded the highest figures with 40 and 43 cases respectively.
Of the total figures within the period under review, spousal battery topped with 61 new cases of the total new cases. This is followed by threat to life and physical assault with 46 cases, rape 26 cases, abandonment and forceful ejection 18 cases while harmful widowhood practices accounted for 10 cases.
The statistics further revealed that victims affected within the period were between the ages of three and 50 years, highlighting the vulnerability of women and children to abuse across the state
The Director, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Response Department of the Ministry of Justice, Barrister Emem Ette who read out the statistics further revealed that the state recorded 69 cases between June and December 2020, shortly after the VAPP Law was enacted, while 141 cases were reported in 2021.
According her, the number rose sharply to 316 cases in 2022 and increased further to 368 cases in 2023 before peaking at 465 cases in 2024.
In 2025, the state recorded 318 cases, while the 161 cases already documented within the first five months of 2026 suggest that the figures may rise further before the end of the year.
Speaking shortly before flagging off the event, the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Uko Udom (SAN), said the increasing number of reported cases reflected growing public confidence in the justice system rather than an escalation in crime.
“Since the passage of the AKS VAPP Law in June 2020, we have recorded over 2,000 reported cases of gender-based violence across the state. Out of these, we have secured over 100 convictions. These are not just statistics. Each conviction is a message that impunity will no longer be tolerated in Akwa Ibom State,” he stated.
Udom said the Ministry of Justice had established a specialised Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Response Department to coordinate prosecutions, survivor support, and implementation of the VAPP Law across the state.
According to him, the government has also established shelters, Sexual Assault Referral Centres, and skill acquisition centres to provide free medical care, counselling, vocational training, and psychosocial support for survivors.
He added that GBV response units had been created in all 31 local government areas, while community health workers, social welfare officers, and security personnel had been trained as paralegals to assist survivors with documentation, legal guidance, and referrals.
The Attorney General, however, expressed concern over cultural practices, intimidation, and out-of-court settlements, which he said continue to frustrate the prosecution of offenders and expose survivors to renewed abuse.
The Commissioner also expressed worry over the granting of bail to suspected offenders in severe gender-based violence cases, warning that such decisions often expose survivors and witnesses to intimidation and retaliation.
“This is not justice. This is a structural failure that we must address. When an abuser returns home on bail to the same compound where the survivor lives, the system is sending the wrong signal,” he said.
He however, appealed to judges and magistrates to exercise greater discretion in handling bail applications involving serious GBV offences, insisting that survivor safety must remain a major consideration during proceedings.
The Attorney General applauded the Director, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Response Department, Barrister Emem Ette, for the zeal and commitment shown and prayed for more of her kind to join the fight against GBV cases in the state.
