The Yobe State Police Command has recorded 25 cases of sexual assault and arrested 28 suspects for offences bordering on gender-based violence (GBV), child abuse and assault in Jakusko, Fika, Potiskum and Tarmuwa Local Councils.

Spokesperson for the command, SP Abdulkarim Dungus, who disclosed this yesterday in Damaturu, said the arrests were made within the last three months as part of ongoing police operations across the state.

He said one of the cases involved a 23-year-old grinding machine operator, Yusuf Garba, who allegedly lured a five-year-old girl into his shop in Dumbulwa village on November 9, 2025, at about 11:00 a.m., and assaulted her.

According to Dungus, the victim was rescued and taken to the hospital for medical examination and treatment of injuries sustained on her thighs, while the suspect remains in the custody of the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) for further investigation before prosecution.

In another incident, he said, a 16-year-old girl was attacked on her way home from a Maulid celebration in Babangida, Tarmuwa Local Council, on November 6, 2025, at about 5:00 p.m.

He said operatives of the Tarmuwa Division tracked and arrested two suspects, identified as Audu Ado, 22, and Babangida Alhaji Dawaye, both residents of Galadimawa community. The suspects reportedly confessed to threatening the victim with harmful objects.

Dungus added that the victim is receiving medical treatment, while the suspects are being investigated at the SCID ahead of prosecution.

Commissioner of Police, Emmanuel Ado, condemned the “heinous acts” of GBV and sexual assault, directing operatives to handle such cases with “utmost professionalism and sensitivity to both women and girls.”

He assured that the command would ensure diligent investigation and timely prosecution of suspects, warning that no offender would be spared.

Ado also called on parents, community and religious leaders, as well as civil society organisations, to remain vigilant and collaborate with the police in protecting minors across the state. (The Guardian)