National News
Mock Courts: AGF Malami Harps on Training of Specialist Prosecutors, Investigators on SGBV
Mock Courts: AGF Malami Harps on Training of Specialist Prosecutors, Investigators on SGBV
By: Michael Mike, Abuja
As part of the activities marking this year’s ’16 Days of Activism against Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV), the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Mr Abubakar Malami, SAN, has called for the training of investigators and prosecutors as specialists in the handling of SGBV cases in Nigeria.
Malami made this statement at the First Mock Court Trial organised by the EU-funded Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption (RoLAC) Programme of the British Council in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Justice and the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP).
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According to the AGF, it is imperative to train these first responders in the access to justice spectrum on evidence collection and storage, intelligence gathering and reporting, evidence analysis and chain of custody preservation.
Represented by the Director in the Public Prosecution Department, Federal Ministry of Justice, Mr Abdulrahim Shuaibu, he stressed the need for the establishment of more Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARC) in the country.
He said: “The absence of SARC is akin to retraining the survivors of SGBV, this is at the very core of my ministerial pursuit and I am seriously working on an Access to Justice based SARC which will evolve in due course,”
“This is a holistic vehicle that provides an all-inclusive integrated service amongst MDAs to the survivors of SGBV.”
It is, therefore, he noted, critical, fundamental and essential in-service delivery to Survivors,” he added.
According to the Minister, access to justice based SARC will include improved health care services that would address the medical, physical, mental and psychosocial consequences of SGBV to Survivors.
While noting that, there is also a need to train our Judges on the handling of SGBV cases especially about victim and witness protection and the management of evidence gathered due to the sensitive nature of these cases.
Malami commended all the Judges, lawyers and stakeholders who took out time to participate and I assure everyone present of my dedication in the fight against SGBV.”
In the same vein, Prof. Joy Ezeilo, Chairperson of SARCs, Prof. Joy Ezeilo, disclosed that since its establishment in 2013, SARC has continued to provide free immediate emergency medical treatment, counselling and follow up support to survivors of rape and sexual assault.
Ezeilo noted that in just eight years, the SARC Network has grown from a single SARC in Lagos to 32 SARCS across 19 states in Nigeria assisting over 22,000 survivors of sexual assault combined.
She stressed that there is a remarkable expansion spread of the SARC initiative in Nigeria and a stronger focus nationwide on comprehensive medical and counselling services for survivors.
In addition to supporting their engagement with the legal system, there is strong evidence that the number of SGBV cases reported to SARCs is still a poor representation of the scale of sexual assault in Nigeria and the number of cases that are prosecuted, are very few compared to the number of incidents.
Ezeilo stated that the Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption (RoLAC) programme would like to support the call and effort to establish specialised courts for SGBV by holding these mock specialised SGBV courts.
According to her, this will model what survivor centred SGBV court processes and proceedings would look like in the context of Nigeria’s legislative social policy environment.
“It will provide the opportunity to model police investigation and prosecution scenarios that support or compromise justice for survivors,” she said.
She said that the lessons gathered from the mock trials will assist law enforcement, the judiciary and the criminal justice system to fast track the justice process on similar existing cases.
Ezeilo said it will also encourage justice service providers to employ the right attitudes and tools in their interactions with victims and perpetrators of SGBV. She also noted that they brought in innovations, which connotes gender offence is not just committed against a woman, with this you see the good, the bad and the ugly.
“If for example, our population is 100million, at least 30 million women and girls are victims of gender-based violence, it is really serious when we say one in every three women is going to be a victim in their lifetime is an underestimation, because in a daily basis you hear about this coupled with the cases handled in the SARC and other organisation”, she said.
On his part, former Minister of Justice, Prince Adetokunbo Kayode SAN reiterated that many people go through this violence today from an immediate environment who are very close.
Kayode was of the view that these persons are sometimes those persons who feel they are higher in status and the victim cannot do anything to them.
He said that ” rape of a minor is a serious issue, the bottom line is that it should not even get there, the rules of engagement must change”.
According to the former Minister of Defence, trauma for people who go through violence is unimaginable. We should be able to carve out the proof of evidence and the very important burden. There must be litigations that must be directed by the court. The laws are prospective, we make laws for the future.
He said there is a need to vow to never raise your hand to your spouse, it might become necessary to use the law to reduce incidents of domestic violence.
“I am an advocate for special courts and I feel they should be a specialised court for different cases”, headed.
Mock Courts: AGF Malami Harps on Training of Specialist Prosecutors, Investigators on SGBV
National News
VP Shettima Mourns Late Alhaji Aminu Dantata, Says Nigeria Has Lost An Irreplaceable Institution
VP Shettima Mourns Late Alhaji Aminu Dantata, Says Nigeria Has Lost An Irreplaceable Institution
By: Michael Mike
Vice President Kashim Shettima has expressed deep grief over the passing of prominent Nigerian businessman and philanthropist, Alhaji Aminu Alhassan Dantata, saying the nation has lost an irreplaceable institution.
The late Dantata, an uncle of Africa’s richest man, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, passed away at the age of 94 in Abu Dhabi in the early hours of Saturday in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), according to Mustapha Abdullahi Junaid, his Personal Private Secretary (PPS), who confirmed the death.
In a condolence message, Vice President Shettima praised the late businessman for his lifetime of service, describing him as “a living bridge that connected us to our past.
“We have not just lost a leader; we have lost an irreplaceable institution,” Senator Shettima said, describing Dantata as “one of the greatest titans in Nigeria’s philosophical history” whose departure marks the end of a vital chapter in the country’s economic and democratic evolution.
“In African tradition, when such an elderly person transitions, a vital chapter of our history departs with them. He was indeed among the great titans, a living bridge that connected us to our past,” VP Shettima added.
The Vice President extended heartfelt condolences to the Dantata family, expressing hopes that they would “find the fortitude to bear this irreparable loss,” even as he prayed that Almighty Allah would grant the deceased Jannatul Firdaus.
Born into the legendary Dantata family of Kano, Alhaji Aminu built on his father’s commercial legacy to become one of Nigeria’s most influential business figures. His empire spans construction, manufacturing, banking, agriculture, and the oil and gas sectors.
Beyond business, Dantata was renowned for his extensive philanthropic work, funding schools, mosques, health centres, and supporting widows and the underprivileged across Nigeria.
VP Shettima Mourns Late Alhaji Aminu Dantata, Says Nigeria Has Lost An Irreplaceable Institution
National News
Nigeria-EU Senior Officials Meet in Abuja to Prepare for Upcoming Nigeria – EU Ministerial Meeting
Nigeria-EU Senior Officials Meet in Abuja to Prepare for Upcoming Nigeria – EU Ministerial Meeting
By: Michael Mike
The Senior Officials Meeting between Nigeria and the European Union (EU) will be held on Tuesday 1st and Wednesday 2nd July 2025 in Abuja to prepare for the upcoming Nigeria – EU Ministerial Meeting and to explore areas of cooperation.
A statement on Saturday by the Press Officer, EU Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Modestus Chukwulaka, read: “The Delegation of European Union to Nigeria and ECOWAS wishes to inform that the Senior Officials Meeting between the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the European Union (EU) will be held on Tuesday 1st and Wednesday 2nd July 2025 in Abuja.
“The agenda of the very important meeting is to prepare for the upcoming Nigeria – EU Ministerial Meeting and to explore areas of cooperation.”
According to the statement, the Senior Officials Meeting will be co-chaired by the Regions, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nigeria, Ambassador Janet Olisa, Director, and the Deputy Managing Director for Africa Department, European External Action Service, European Union, Mr Mathieu Briens.
The statement revealed that the agenda of the meeting is expected to entail wide-ranging discussions that would focus on various aspects of the Nigeria – EU partnership, such as: Cooperation on multilateral and regional issues; Peace, Security and Governance; Humanitarian situation; Trade and Investment; Human Development: Health, Education, Social Protection; Science, technology, innovation and digital transition; Migration; Energy, climate change and green economy transition among others.
Nigeria and the European Union share a deep, long-standing partnership inspired by mutual values and interests as well as support for multilateralism and rule-based international order, the statement said.
Nigeria-EU Senior Officials Meet in Abuja to Prepare for Upcoming Nigeria – EU Ministerial Meeting
Farida Waziri Tasks Benue Leaders to Unite, Act and Save Their People
…. Donates relief materials to displaced persons in Yelwata, IDP camp
By: Michael Mike
Former Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC), Mrs. Farida Waziri has charged former governors, legislators, traditional rulers and other stakeholders in Benue state to set aside rivalry, unite and act with urgency to save their people from incessant attacks and killings.
Waziri, a retired Assistant Inspector General of Police and Principal Partner, Brookfield Chambers Abuja stated this on Saturday 28th June 2025 while donating relief materials to victims of the recent gunmen attacks in Yelwata community and displaced persons at the internally displaced persons (IDP) camp in Makurdi, the Benue state capital.
Some of the items donated under the banner of Women, Youth, Children and Crime Organisation (WYCCO), a non-governmental organization founded by her, include: bags of rice, sugar, tubers of yam and other household items.
She said: “This is no time for division. It is no time for political squabbling or ego-driven manoeuvring. Among us are men and women who have led this state — former governors, legislators, traditional rulers — individuals with influence and authority. The time has come to set aside our differences and stand united, for the sake of the ordinary Benue man, woman, and child.
“That is why I stand here today to make this urgent and heartfelt appeal to our leaders: cast aside rivalry, unite, and act. Act with urgency. Act with purpose. Because what we face now increasingly resembles a deliberate, coordinated effort to erase our people and our heritage.
“We must take heed of the words of Sir Winston Churchill, who once said:
‘Our difficulties and dangers will not be removed by closing our eyes to them.’
Another of Churchill’s warnings is just as relevant to our present predicament:
‘If you will not fight for right when you can easily win without bloodshed… you may come to the moment when you will have to fight with all odds against you and only a precarious chance of survival.”
Waziri, while stating that her call was a build up to the earlier proposal by President Bola Tinubu during his recent visit Beforehand Benue, noted that meetings alone would not solve the problem, urging that: “But let us be sincere: peace will not come from meetings alone. To end the cycle of violence, we must confront its roots. Before the Yelwata massacre, communities in Gwer West, Apa, and Guma had already endured weeks of killings, kidnappings, and raids. These horrors did not emerge in a vacuum; they are symptoms of deeper issues.
“We must therefore confront the real causes — ethnic and religious tensions, unchecked banditry, and the rise of cultism as well as the abuse of illicit drugs. These forces must be tackled, along with the herder-farmer conflict, with honesty and courage. We cannot afford to keep going in circles. And there is no room for blame games. Our leaders — and indeed, all of us — must be pragmatic. So today, let us commit, as one people, to healing our wounds, reclaiming our land, and ensuring that never again will a child in Benue grow up in a camp instead of a home”
She said the development in Benue must be of “concern to all sons and daughters of Benue regardless of whether we live within its borders or far away in the diaspora to find out the root cause of these attacks with a view to proferring solutions that will bring an end to these barbaric acts”
Farida Waziri Tasks Benue Leaders to Unite, Act and Save Their People
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