Adamawa State has recorded 774 cases of sexual and gender violence between 2020 and the first half of 2021.

This is just as the state claimed that 297 perpetrators have so far been convicted.

This was contained in a statement released by Dr Ukohi Ukiwo, Technical Lead, Managing Conflict in Nigeria (MCN) Programme at the opening of a five-day capacity building workshop in Yola on Monday.

The workshop participants comprised doctors, nurses and counsellors on the management of sexual and gender-based violence.

It was organised by the Adamawa State Primary Healthcare Development Agency in collaboration with MCN and funded by the British Council through the European Union.

Ukiwo said the workshop was organised to educate participants on how to identify and provide emergency treatment for victims.

“Sexual and gender-based violence is occurring more in communities because of absence of care and the silence that followed the incidents.

“We hope that by training of primary healthcare personnel who are closer to the people, the survivors will be able to have emergency and first aid treatment.

“Through emergency treatment, first hand evidence will be gathered to enable the authorities to prosecute perpetrators,’’ he said.

He said bringing the training close to communities would help in gathering and managing early evidences.

Ukiwo stressed that the solution to eradicate the menace was to ensure prosecution of perpetrators to serve as deterrent to others.

“The reason why the violent cases persist is because most perpetrators go free,’’ he stressed.

In his remarks, Dr Bashir Sulaiman, Executive Chairman, Adamawa State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, said the agency was positively responding to sexual and gender-based violence in the state.

Sulaiman noted that the core objective of the training was to create awareness and empower participants with knowledge on how to easily detect suspects and victims of sexual and gender-based violence.

“Our personnel are available and well trained and have tools to counsel and guide in the three sexual assault referral centres in the state.

“Where there is need for justice, we do that through various partners,’’ Sulaiman said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that about 50 participants from 21 local government areas of the state are attending the training.

NAN