The Abia State Government has announced the establishment of sex offenders register at the Ministry of Justice, where the names of convicted sexual offenders will be documented as part of efforts to deter sexual and gender-based violence.

The government also highlighted improvements in the state’s healthcare sector, disclosing that Abia recorded the country’s lowest maternal and infant mortality rates in the first quarter of 2026.

The announcements were made after Monday’s State Executive Council (SEC) meeting.

Briefing journalists, the Commissioner for Information, Prince Okey Kanu, said the Sex Offenders Register would contain the names of persons convicted of sexual offences by competent courts.

He explained that the register is intended to serve as a deterrent and ensure that convicted offenders are publicly identified after serving their sentences.

Kanu also disclosed that two convicted sexual offenders had been sentenced by the Family Court sitting in Umuahia for offences involving minors.

According to him, one of the offenders was sentenced to 30 years’ imprisonment after being convicted of raping a teenage girl, while the second received 10 years’ imprisonment for defiling a five-year-old child.

He added that survivors of sexual assault and other gender-based violence cases are receiving medical and psychosocial support at the state’s Sexual Assault Referral and Treatment Centre in Aba.

Speaking further, the Commissioner for Poverty Alleviation and Social Protection, Mrs Ngozi Blessing Felix, said one of the convicts, a 35-year-old man, fled to Nasarawa State after committing the offence but was tracked, arrested and returned to Abia by the police for prosecution.

She said the suspect pleaded guilty when arraigned before the court on July 9, 2026, and was convicted and sentenced the same day.

Felix warned would-be offenders that the creation of the Sex Offenders Register would ensure that anyone convicted of sexual offences would have their name entered into the register.

On healthcare, Kanu said Abia recorded the nation’s lowest maternal and infant mortality rates during the First Quarter 2026 Performance Dialogue, a nationwide assessment coordinated by the Federal Ministry of Health.

He attributed the achievement to the state government’s investment in renovating, retrofitting and equipping 200 Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) under its flagship Project Ekwueme initiative.

According to the Commissioner for Health, Professor Ogbonnaya Uche, 139 of the 200 PHCs have been fully operationalised, including 77 World Bank-supported facilities, while another 50 centres are currently being equipped.

Professor Uche said the assessment was based on data collected nationwide by the Federal Ministry of Health.

He disclosed that Abia recorded only one maternal death in the first quarter of 2026—the same figure recorded in the last quarter of 2025—reflecting sustained improvements in maternal healthcare.

The commissioner also said neonatal deaths declined from nine cases in the last quarter of 2025 to seven cases in the first quarter of 2026.

He maintained that the figures demonstrate the positive impact of the state’s ongoing investments in healthcare infrastructure and service delivery.

“When offenders are convicted, their names will be entered into the register. This will serve as a deterrent to anyone contemplating such crimes in the future,” she said.