Niger State recorded 192 cases involving children between November 2025 and June 2026, including rape, trafficking and forced marriage, just as a 27-year-old man was sentenced to seven years in prison for raping an eight-year-old girl.
The latest conviction involved Hussaini Suleiman, who was sentenced by the Niger State High Court sitting in Minna, after pleading guilty to the offence.
Justice Binta Bawa of Court 8 handed down the sentence.
The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), which disclosed the conviction in a statement on Friday, said the offence occurred at Suleiman’s residence behind the Prison Quarters in Minna.
The case was referred to the NAPTIP Niger State Command by the state command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) following a report of the incident.
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NAPTIP said Suleiman admitted committing the offence before he was arraigned.
The conviction comes against the backdrop of concerns over the increasing cases of violence and abuse against children in the state.
The Niger State Child Rights Protection Agency said in August that it had recorded 192 cases involving children between November 2025 and June 2026.
The cases included rape, maltreatment, child trafficking, forced marriage, abandonment and denial of child maintenance.
Also in June, the state Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Hadiza Kuta, expressed concern over the reported increase in rape, child abuse and other forms of gender-based violence in the state.
NAPTIP did not disclose the date of the latest offence or details that could lead to the identification of the child.
