NAPTIP in Collaboration with The National Judicial Institute Organises Technical Retreat for Judges and Prosecutors on The Prosecution of Sexual and Gender Base Violence Cases
The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) in collaboration with the National Judicial Institute (NJI), hosted the first stream of capacity building titled ‘Technical Retreat with Judges and Prosecutors” on 1st June 2023 at Johnwood Hotel, Wuse Zone 5, Abuja, as part of an ongoing NAPTIP Project on ‘Strengthening Government’s Approach and Commitment in Preventing Sexual And Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) in Nigeria’. The project, which began in September 2022 to end in July 2025, is supported by the Ford Foundation.
The workshop was attended by 18 Judges from eleven (11) States, including Akwa-Ibom, Anambra, Bayelsa, Cross-Rivers, Edo, Enugu, Imo, Lagos, Ondo, Oyo and Rivers State, and the FCT. Also in attendance were twelve (12) NAPTIP prosecuting counsels from the FCT, Benin, Enugu and Lagos. The total number of participants including officers from NAPTIP and staff from NJI were 50.
The Director General of NAPTIP, Prof. Fatima Waziri-Azi, Ph.D., in her welcome address highlighted some important issues and trends in SGBV across the country while emphasizing the importance of strengthening judicial response to SGBV crimes in Nigeria. She noted that in 2022 “1,342 SGBV cases were reported to the Agency in the FCT, while 393 cases have been reported so far in 2023. Of these cases, report on spousal battery was the highest, followed by rape and infliction of physical injury”. The DG further noted the worrying trend of physical abuse of children and domestic helps. The DG further shared that in 2022, the agency secured 4 convictions in the FCT and 1 rape conviction in Sokoto State and had already secured 2 convictions in the FCT, and 3 convictions in Sokoto, in 2023 with 125 cases in various courts in the FCT.
The DG seized the opportunity to impress on Judges to mete out more severe sentences to perpetrators of SGBV to serve as a prevention measure by sending a powerful message to potential offenders as well awarding compensation to victims of these crimes. In her concluding remarks, she appreciated the Chief Judge of the FCT judiciary on the designation of 2 more SGBV courts, scaling these courts from 4 to 6.
The Administrator of the National Judicial Institute, Honourable Justice Salisu Garba (RTD), while referring to SGBV as a ‘shadow pandemic’ in his opening remarks, called for urgent action by all stakeholders, especially for participants to share ideas on charting a road map in their respective approaches to prosecution and adjudication of sexual and gender-based violence crimes in Nigeria.
The workshop had three (3) paper presentations on The Role of the Court in the Effective Enforcement of Protection Order, Prosecution of SGBV Cases and the Role of Judges in Curbing SGBV, each delivered by Prof. Fatima Waziri-Azi, Ph.D.; Hon. Justice Williams Dawodu, of the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division; and Prof. Tawfiq Ladan, Ph.D. Director-General of the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, respectively. The presentations were followed by plenary sessions that built on the experiences and insight of both the judges and prosecuting counsels. Matters arising from the plenary session involved issues around the role of the State Attorneys General in the diligent prosecution of SGBV cases, the role of the Child’s Right Act and other Federal Laws to plug loopholes in State VAPP Laws, Corroborating witness testimony, coordination between investigators, prosecutors, and medical professionals; amongst other issues.
So far, the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act 2015 has been adopted as law by 35 states, except Kano. The workshop is therefore timely to foster a responsive judiciary in the prosecution of SGBV cases, through interactive sessions, information sharing, and a greater appreciation of the peculiar court room strategies and challenges involved in prosecuting SGBV cases. It was a great platform for prosecuting counsels to learn from the diverse experiences of judges. The second stream of the retreat comes up in July.
