Stakeholders in child protection and justice administration in Kaduna State have raised concerns over the growing number of unreported sexual abuse cases involving boys.
They said the situation was particularly disturbing because many alleged perpetrators were known to the victims, with some cases involving neighbours, relatives or other trusted adults.
Newsmen report that Kaduna State has laws addressing violence against children and sexual offences, including the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Law 2018 and the Child Welfare and Protection Law 2018.
The Kaduna State Penal Code Law 2017, as amended in 2020, also contains provisions addressing sexual intercourse with a male child below 14 years.
The stakeholders made the observations while speaking to the newsmen in Kaduna on cases of sexual violence against boys handled by the Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC), National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) and Kaduna State Ministry of Justice.
The Centre Manager of Salama Sexual Assault Referral Centre, Tudun Wada, Kaduna, Sidikat Adegboye, said the facility had attended to several children allegedly subjected to sexual abuse.
Adegboye said one of the cases involved a boy brought to the centre in May 2026, whose medical examination confirmed that he had been sexually assaulted.
She said three other boys from the same family were subsequently brought to the centre in August, with one also confirmed to have been sexually assaulted.
According to her, the Ministry of Women Affairs was handling the first case, which had been brought before the Magistrate’s Court.
The case followed allegations by the boy’s family against a man in their neighbourhood, although the accused denied the allegations.
The accused said his interaction with the boy was limited to assisting him at a worship centre, giving him small amounts of money and occasionally asking him to fetch water.
He also denied allegations that he took the boy away for sexual purposes.
“I have never given him a large amount of money. Sometimes, I’d give him my car key to clean it if he insisted on helping out. They just come and create these allegations,” he said.
One of the mothers involved in the matter, whose identity is being withheld to protect her children, said she became suspicious after noticing that her young son was experiencing an unusual medical problem.
She said the discovery prompted her to examine the child, after which he later disclosed that a man known in the neighbourhood had allegedly sexually abused him.
The mother said the boy told his father that the alleged perpetrator had threatened to kill him if he disclosed the abuse.
She said the family sought legal advice and was directed to take the child to a SARC for medical examination.
According to her, the examination conducted at Yusuf Dantsoho General Hospital indicated that the child had been subjected to sexual abuse over a prolonged period.
She said the matter was subsequently reported to the police.
“Honestly, I need justice for my children. These children are ill and need medical care and social support. We don’t have resources to take care of them,” she said.
Another mother alleged that the same man had sexually abused her two male children after giving them soft drinks and threatening them with death if they disclosed the alleged abuse.
She said medical investigations had been conducted and the matter reported to the police.
The mother expressed concern over the subsequent status of the case and appealed for justice and support for the children.
FIDA Kaduna Chairperson, Olufunke Bamikole, said the organisation had also received complaints involving sexual abuse of boys.
Bamikole said one of the cases involved a boy allegedly abused by a neighbour for more than one year.
She said the alleged perpetrator reportedly took the boy in his vehicle and later returned him to his family under the guise of helping him.
Bamikole said the boy was subsequently taken to a SARC for examination and the matter reported to the police.
She said FIDA became concerned after receiving information that the suspect was no longer in custody.
According to her, subsequent information suggested that more boys might have been affected.
“Initially, we were hearing that it was only about six or seven boys the suspect was doing it to. But we later heard that there were about 40, including his own son,” she said.
She stressed the need for authorities and communities to take allegations of sexual abuse involving children seriously.
The Kaduna State Police Command, however, said the suspect was not released by the police without due process.
The Officer in Charge of the Gender Section, Dominic Aku, said the suspect had spent about three to four months in custody before the case was forwarded to the Ministry of Justice for legal advice.
Aku explained that the police routinely forward case diaries to the Ministry of Justice after investigations in cases requiring legal advice.
He said the ministry subsequently determines whether available evidence was sufficient to proceed with prosecution.
“In this case, the advice we received from the Ministry stated that there was insufficient evidence to prosecute him and that he should be discharged.
“It was not the police who released him,” he said.
The Kaduna State Coordinator of the NHRC, Dr Tengu Gwar, said many cases of sexual abuse remained hidden because victims and their families were often reluctant to report them.
Gwar identified low legal awareness, stigma, cultural considerations and interventions by family and community leaders as major factors affecting reporting.
“In the city centre, we receive some reports, but you can imagine what is happening in places where literacy levels are very low, particularly legal literacy.
“People do not know their rights or the available channels for seeking redress. As a result, some of these issues are buried. They are underreported,” he said.
He said the commission had also received complaints involving alleged sexual violence against children within family and neighbourhood circles.
According to him, some families attempt to resolve such cases privately because of fear of stigma or concern over the consequences of exposing a relative or known person.
Gwar said some religious and community leaders also intervened in cases after they had been reported.
He recalled a case in Zaria in which a mother who wanted to pursue justice after her child was allegedly sexually violated faced pressure and lost the support of her husband.
Similarly, a Senior State Counsel and gender-based violence and child protection specialist at the Kaduna State Ministry of Justice, Sarah Peter, confirmed that cases involving sexual violence against boys were being reported.
Peter said the Department of Citizens’ Rights was open to complaints involving violations of human rights, including those affecting children.
She said cases could be referred to the police, Legal Aid Council, FIDA or the Multi-Door Courthouse depending on the circumstances.
Peter disclosed that she had prosecuted cases involving young boys and concluded one such matter in 2026.
She recalled a case involving a two-year-old boy who was sexually assaulted by an adult.
According to her, the adult had allegedly subjected a 12-year-old boy to similar abuse and subsequently forced him to participate in the assault of the younger child.
She said the 12-year-old was treated as a victim because investigations showed that he had himself been sexually abused.
Peter said the adult was eventually convicted and sentenced to five years’ imprisonment, with an order to pay N500,000 compensation to the survivor’s family.
She, however, said another case involving three boys aged about six years was being affected by the failure of their parents to make them available to testify.
According to her, the parents later said their community had advised them to forgive and forget the incident and discontinue the case.
Peter said such interventions could undermine the prosecution of child sexual abuse cases.
Newsmen report that the stakeholders believe that strengthening enforcement of the laws, improving public awareness, protecting survivors and ensuring sustained prosecution were necessary to address sexual abuse involving boys.
They also urged families to report suspected abuse promptly and avoid settling such cases through informal arrangements that could expose children to further harm.