Ogun first-lady avowed unalloyed commitment to support every initiatives to stop domestic gender based violence

The number one lady of Ogun State  Mrs Bamidele Abiodun, has reassured in her stand to render considerable support to every initiatives and projects driven towards steps taken to put a stop to domestic and gender violence in the society.

The wife of the executive Governor of gateway state also advocate for social working coorperation fashioned among Law Enforcement Agencies, Non--Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and Stakeholders in combating the menace of gender based violence and ensuring all perpetrators are judiciously brought to Justice.

These motherly assurance was given at the instance of official commissioning of Ota Area command Family Support Unit (FSU) facilities located at Sango-Ota, (Police Area command premises)  the centre she accollades as first of it's kind in Lagos and Ogun state. She added that though she observed menace of gender based oppression is cultured into the fabric of our society but believe the narratives can be changed via constant efforts of concerned stakeholders in giving voices to our children and women which are usually the victims

Mrs Abiodun commended the Ogun state Commissioner of Police, CP Edward Awolowo Ajogun and the Sango/Ota Area Commander, ACP Monday Agbonika, for the laudable FSU project. 

The First Lady, who is also the chairperson of the committee set up by the state government to check the subjugation and oppression of women, said stiffer penalty for perpetrators of domestic and gender based violence would not only reduce but total elimination of such crime in Nigeria

She appealed to every stakeholders in the war against domestic violence to give a robust information on  the victims of domestic and gender based violence, stressing that if such is done in all communities, the perpetrators would think twice before  committing such heinous crimes. 

"For now those who engaged  in domestic violence do so as there is a societal lukewarm attitude towards gender based violence.

"A good number of persons erroneously see such violence as a normal male and female relationship", she added.

The first Lady was full of praises for CP Ajogun and his officers, as she eulogised them for remaining resolute and calm in the face of provocation, wanton destruction of lives and property during last month #EndSARS protest hijacked by hoodlums in some parts of the country. 

In his contribution, the Olota of Ota, Oba Abdulkareem Obalanlege appealed to Judges in Nigeria to give stiffer punishment to big and influential members of the society, not only to serve as deterrent to others, but also check smaller members of the society from committing domestic and other related crimes. 

According to him, the bigger you are in other civilised climes, the heavier the punishment  you get in cases of domestic and gender based violence. 

Responding, Agbonika said when he reported at Ota as the Area Commander last year, he  realised that there was high incidence of gender based and domestic violence cases in that community.

He disclosed that cases were not being  reported because of stigimatasation   and other similar consideration the reason he approached highly placed individuals, corporate bodies, officials of various Ministries to join hands with the police in the area to build a befitting facility for treating gender based  and domestic violence. 

He appealed to the Ogun State Government to assist the Ota FSU with a vehicle to augument the only existing vehicle at the disposal of the unit. 

He described the FSU as an upgrade of the Juvenile Welfare Center (JWC). 

On her part, Mrs Millicent Abibat Ajogun, the wife of the Ogun state police boss and chairperson of Police Officers Wives Association, POWA, commends Agbonika for the initiative. 

She described the initiative as "unique", unprecedented which can't be compared with what is obtainable in other places". 

Also present at the opening of the launch are, traditional rulers, the clerics, officials of Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Area Commander 4, Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps (TRACE), Adekunle Ariyo Ajibade and representatives of NGOs.  

Chairman of Ota Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC), Mr Patrick Oyegbade, Dr Akin Atere, Bishop of Anglican Communion, Ota Diocese, and representative of the member of the House of Representatives for Ewekoro/Ifo Constituency, Hon Isiaka Ibrahim.

Others include Oba of Owode-, Oba Wasiu Akanni and Oba Kenneth Adeyemi, the Onijana of Ijana. Not left out are, Divisional Police Officers ,DPOs, senior and junior police officers under the jurisdiction of the  Ota police area command and market women learders.