A total of 717 rape incidents were recorded in Nigeria between January and May this year, while 799 suspects were arrested for the offences.
The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Adamu, disclosed this after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja on Monday.
The police chief said that 632 of such cases had been conclusively investigated and charged to court within the period.
Adamu also said 52 cases are still being investigated while attributing the surge in rapes and gender-based violence to the Covid-19 lockdown restrictions.
He said: “The Nigeria police so far from January-May 2020, we have recorded about 717 rape incidents that were reported across the country, about 799 suspects have been arrested, 631 cases conclusively investigated and charged to court and 52 cases are left and under investigation.
“The police and other security agencies and other non-governmental organizations have been collaborating, to see to it that these cases of rape and gender based violence are dealt with.
“The NGOs and CSOs that have the capacity to deal with this kind of offenses, have been cooperating with law enforcement agencies in capacity building, management of victims of rape and similar offenses and procedures for collecting evidence, towards successful prosecution.”
