Commissioner frowns as parents rush to withdraw rape cases

By ONORIODE ETATSEMI

Delta State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Isaiah Bozimo, has frowned at the rate parents of rape victims flood his office with applications for withdrawal of such cases.

Bozimo disclosed this in his office today during a media parley with members of Indigenous Correspondent Chapel (ICC) of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Delta State Council, where he said that the ministry was more than ever before ready to discharge one of its mandates of prosecuting criminality.

He expressed worry that culprits of rape cases were on the increase, wondering how it could be nipped in the bud if parents of victims were not on the same page with prosecuting authority in fighting a grievous crime as rape.

Bozimo also expressed the ministry’s resolve to continue to pursue such cases to their logical conclusion so long there were strong evidence to do so, and advised victims or their parents to come forward whenever such happened.

The commissioner explained that he hold the media in a very high esteem because of the critical functions they perform in society.

He promised a robust partnership with the chapel to ensure that all activities of the ministry were not only publicized but that a more simplified language was used to convey such message to the public, especially those at the grassroots.

On challenges facing the ministry, he said that there were none, as according to him, the ministry was created to provide solutions to challenges across ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs).

Bozimo disclosed that training and re-training of staff was one of his cardinal objectives to ensure that workers were motivated, stressing that ministry had scheduled a stakeholders’ engagement on 12th May this year for the review of the Administration of Criminal Justice Laws in the state.

Earlier, the Chairman of ICC, Comrade Andrew Emephia, said that the parley became necessary not only to seek answers to some nagging issues but also and to seek partnership between both organizations. (Delta State News Bulletin)