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UN Resident Coordinator Leads March Against Violence Against Women in Abuja
UN Resident Coordinator Leads March Against Violence Against Women in Abuja
By: Michael Mike
The United Nations Resident Coordinator, Mohammed Fall on Saturday led some prominent women activists in a march on major streets of Nigerian capital city of Abuja to demand for the end of violence against women.
The march was part of activities marking the 16 Days of Activism against Gender Based Violence (GBV) celebrated worldwide.
During the march which was organized in Abuja by the UN Women in conjunction with Women at Risk International Foundation (WARIF), Medicaid Cancer Foundation, the UN Resident Coordinator alongside the women carried placards demanding for an end to violence against women and spoke against what they termed crime not only against women but humanity.
Addressing the media after the long walk, Mr. Fall said there was urgent need for an end in violence against women, girls and boys, insisting that everyone needs to be involved in the campaign as it affects the entire human race.
He lamented that the statistics of violence against women is still very much alarming and showed that it needed to be approached with all round strategies that would make people to know its harm and get offenders no hiding place.
Fall said there is still much told be done by government, law enforcement agencies and leaders in all sectors to build awareness against violence against women and to expose it for what it is: crime against humanity.
Speaking on the need to put an end to the crime, the former First Lady of Kebbi State and Founder of Medicaid Cancer Foundation, Dr Zainab Bagudu said with the law against violence against women in place, there is still need to fight on until the society shows it does not tolerate violence against women.
She said after the law, “then the next step becomes the implementation and general awareness, the mindset of the average, person from our environment, is that they don’t even understand what constitutes abuse. So we need to educate them, to make them aware, and most importantly, to combine the facilities that they need if abuse should take place, we focus on women and young adolescent girls, but boys are also victims of abuse, and they can turn out to be perpetrators once they have been abused.”
She said “there is continuous need
to organize educational classes in schools and different places, so that we can educate our boys and they can prompt be supportive.”
She noted that there is need for much more efforts at ending the violence against women, insisting that: “Well, it’s (campaign) never enough. We’re a very large country. The population is high, so we know the challenges that we have and different conflicting priorities. So it’s important that we don’t get tired, and one of the advocacies that we do, to call on government to provide more resources, and donor partners, to help us. The task can be quite big, and the police can sometimes not be as responsive as we would like them to be, due to other reasons, but we hope that they will be more acute to the trauma that this causes to women, children and some men when it happens, and that’s why we keep on advocating so it’s not enough. We need to have more. We need to have more action. We need to have more understanding. There are also programmes that focus on educating our security forces so that they really understand how they should be reacting. Every police station should have a desk against gender based violence and women should have the confidence, or abused victims should have the confidence to approach these desks, make their point without fear of stigmatization.”
On her part, the Mandate Secretary of the Federal Capital Territory, Dr. Adedayo Benjamins-Laniyi, said the campaign was on in all parts of the Federal Capital Territory to drive the message to the grassroots.
She noted that: “We need to keep aggregating and scaling like what is happening today. We need to have more of this advocacy. We need to have more of the intentionality of collaborations between governments and private, public individuals, people who are able to invest and engage not just the interest, but in terms of the action and bringing interventions from messaging to the place of invested empowerment, of the mindsets of cultural traditional practices.”
Project Manager of WARIF, Adeola Potts-Johnson, on her part, said the campaign has been a success so far for it has grown from just being held in a city to many important cities of Nigeria and prominent cities across the globe.
She said WARIF would continue to push the bar until violence against women becomes history.
UN Resident Coordinator Leads March Against Violence Against Women in Abuja
Another Bandits group release three women in Katsina in peace deal promises
By: Zagazola Makama
Another group of repentant bandits has released three women in Katsina State as part of the ongoing peace process in the state.
The women, whose names were not immediately disclosed, were said to have been held by a notorious bandit leader, Kacalla Zailani, who controls the Maigora axis.
Community sources told Zagazola on Wednesday that Zailani freed the captives voluntarily without collecting ransom.
“He handed over the women to the mediators as a gesture of goodwill to consolidate the peace deal,” one of the sources said.
Another Bandits group release three women in Katsina in peace deal promises
Zulum Pledges Legal Reform to Deepen Justice System
… Fagbemi: Zulum, people-centred and reform-driven Gov.
By: Our Reporter
Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Umara Zulum, has reaffirmed his commitment to working closely with the Federal Government, National Assembly and other partners to deepen reforms in the state justice system especially at the grassroots level.
Governor Zulum made the commitment on Wednesday at the 2025 Justice Sector Leadership Retreat held at the International Conference Centre of Musa Usman Secretariat, Maiduguri.
“I reaffirm Borno State’s commitment to working with the Federal Government, the Judiciary, the National Assembly, and development partners to deepen reforms in our justice system, especially at the grassroots level,” Zulum stated.
The governor stressed the need for the deployment of technology which will make justice delivery faster, transparent and accountable to the citizenry, noting that Borno State had already adopted the use of digital technology to bridge justice delivery gap.
“In Borno State, we are already witnessing how digital tools have enhanced case tracking, enabling virtual court sittings, thus improving prison decongestion and streaming access to legal aid especially in hard-to-reach areas. If deployed strategically, technology can bridge the gap between rural and urban justice access,” he remarked.
“This is particularly important in Borno State where we continue to recover from a protracted
insurgency and humanitarian crisis. Justice must serve as a foundation for healing, rebuilding trust and restoring the social contract”.
The governor emphasized the need for institutional collaboration and coordinated reform to effectively confront the menace of terrorism, corruption, resolving land disputes and securing investments for a better society.
“I urge all of us here as policymakers, jurists, administrators and stakeholders to see
coordination not as a procedural matter, but as a moral imperative. Our people deserve a system that works, not one riddled with delays, duplications, or inefficiencies”.
The retreat themed “Strengthening Justice Sector Service Delivery through Technology, Innovation and Co-ordinated Reform” underscores the importance of deployment of digital tools to fast track judicial process.
The event was attended by the senator representing Borno Central, Senator Kaka Shehu Lawan SAN; APC State Chairman, Hon. Bello Ayuba, Chairman/CEO NDLEA, Brig. Gen (rtd) Buba Marwa; Solicitor General of the Federation, Beatrice Jeddy-Agba, Heads of Agencies under Federal Ministry of Justice. Others include Secretary to the State Government, Head of Service, acting Chief of Staff, the State Attorney-General, members of the state executive council, and other top government officials.
… Zulum: people-centred, and reform-driven Gov -Fegbemi
Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Mr Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), has lauded Governor Babagana Zulum’s people-centred transformation and reforms in the justice sector.
“Just like other sectors, your impact in the justice sector has been profound. The launch of Borno State e-Justice project in
partnership with Law Pavilion has positioned the state as a pacesetter in digital transformation. With tools such as the Case
Management System, e-Library, and electronic mail tracking for legal processes, Borno is pioneering efficiency and transparency
in judicial service delivery,” Fagbemi stated.
“Borno under your leadership has become a case study in resilience and renewal. You have shown that governance is not about slogans but about solutions; not about rhetoric but about results. You have elevated the standard of leadership by demonstrating that ideas, when backed by courage and action, can transform societies, no matter the odds,” he added.
“In a state that has endured some of the toughest trials in our nation’s history, you did not succumb to despair. Instead, you applied
innovative thinking, sound judgment, and a data-driven approach to policy and the results are visible to all”.
The Attorney General called for the need to update the nation’s legal frameworks to support these innovations and invest in digital literacy,
cybersecurity, and data management for the professionals.
“By fostering a culture of innovation and leveraging the transformative power of technology, we can build a justice system that is more efficient, more accessible, and more equitable for all Nigerians,” he concluded.
Zulum Pledges Legal Reform to Deepen Justice System
Bandit Kingpin Releases 28 Captives in Katsina Following Peace Deal
By: Zagazola Makama
A total of 28 persons abducted by suspected bandits in Faskari Local Government Area of Katsina State have been released without ransom following a peace arrangement with bandit kingpin.
The bandits, led by their commander identified as Isya Akwashi Garwa, handed over the captives to officials of the council on Wednesday.
Zagazola reports that those released were largely residents of Mairua, Kanen-haki and Yar Dabaru communities.
Local authorities confirmed that the release was the outcome of a reconciliation effort initiated in the area to restore peace and reduce violent attacks.
Community leaders in Faskari described the development as a positive signal and urged both sides to sustain the peace process. They also urged the bandit to force other bandits still attacking in the area to stop.
A council official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said: “The captives were released this afternoon without any ransom being paid. The bandit leader fulfilled his promise under the peace talks,”he said.
Meanwhile, residents expressed relief at the safe return of the abductees, with some calling for stronger security guarantees to consolidate the gesture.
Bandit Kingpin Releases 28 Captives in Katsina Following Peace Deal
Another Bandits group release three women in Katsina in peace deal promises
Zulum Pledges Legal Reform to Deepen Justice System
Bandit Kingpin Releases 28 Captives in Katsina Following Peace Deal
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