Abdu, who doubles as Chairperson, the Human Rights Committee, NBA, condemned the spate of abuse in a press statement.

In the statement titled - "Protecting our future: Urgent action needed on child protection in Gombe State", Abdu noted that authorities should implement the child protection law, to tackle abuse, stressing the need for concerted efforts towards combating dastard acts against minors.

“In 2018, we woke up to the story of young Zubair Abubakar (13 years old), whose arms were amputated because of the abuse by his teacher, just four days ago was another devastating story of 12-year-old Adamu from Tumu District in Akko LG of same Gombe State who also lost his arms due to similar incident with Zubair Abubakar, over alleged theft of phone.

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“Even though the office of the Attorney General has taken over the prosecution of the cases, we believe that is not enough, because these two stories are just a tip of the iceberg of the numerous daily reported and unreported complaints or cases of child abuse in the state, ranging from sexual abuse, child labour, child molestation, child trafficking and so on,” the statement quoted her as saying.

While lamenting the effects of abuses perpetrated in the state, Abdul added, “The heartbreaking tales of young victims like Zubair Abubakar and Adamu from Gombe State underscore a troubling reality: child abuse remains a pervasive issue in our communities, transcending mere headlines to expose the harsh realities faced by our most vulnerable members.

“While the ratification of the child protection law in 2022 was a pivotal step, the gap between legislation and its effective enforcement looms large, leaving children at risk and their futures uncertain.”

She called on stakeholders to rise to the occasion towards putting a stop to the overwhelming incidences many of which Abdu noted are unreported.

Meanwhile, the Gombe government had filed charges against the uncle of Adamu for amputating the 12-year-old on the allegation that he stole a phone.

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The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) in the Gombe State Ministry of Justice, Abubakar Jungudo, who disclosed this development, stated that the uncle of the amputated child would be prosecuted.

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