The Kaduna State Government has sentenced 25 individuals to death for gender-based violence (GBV), in a major crackdown aimed at curbing the rising cases of abuse in the state.
Commissioner for Human Services and Social Development, Dr Rabi Salisu, made the announcement while hosting a delegation from the Muslim Opinion Leaders for the Prevention of Gender-Based Violence in Northern Nigeria Project.
The project is being run by the Development Research and Projects Centre (dRPC) with support from the Ford Foundation.
₦5bn fund to empower 15,000 women
In a separate but related development, Dr Salisu revealed that Kaduna is set to disburse ₦5 billion to empower 15,000 women across the 23 local government areas of the state.
The initiative falls under the Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) Fund, which supports cooperatives as part of the broader Kaduna State Women’s Economic Empowerment Policy launched in December 2024 by Governor Uba Sani.
“The ₦5 billion approved in November 2024 has been captured in the 2025 budget and will soon be disbursed to the targeted cooperatives,” she confirmed.
Tackling GBV through economic inclusion
Salisu emphasised that the state is taking a holistic approach to fighting GBV by investing in women’s economic inclusion, education, healthcare access, and leadership roles.
“We are tackling the intersectionality between gender-based violence and economic inequality,” she said.
Over 5,000 women and girls have already benefited from training programmes in data science, artificial intelligence, and entrepreneurship — powered by Google Africa — with a focus on semi-urban and rural communities.
More efforts to track and prevent GBV
Kaduna State is also developing a central database to track GBV cases, speed up interventions, and support survivors. A technical working group has been formed to coordinate across legal, empowerment, education, and social sectors.
Prof. Taufiq Hussain, Coordinator of the Muslim Opinion Leaders (MOLs) Project, applauded the government’s efforts and discussed plans for deeper collaboration with religious leaders in monitoring GBV prevention.
Interfaith backing and a personal milestone
Director-General of the Kaduna State Bureau of Interfaith, Mr Tahir Umar Tahir, commended the commissioner not only for her anti-GBV efforts but also for completing her PhD. He urged her to apply her academic experience to strengthen the fight against violence and promote women’s rights.
