The Chief Judge of Ogun State, Justice Mosunmola Dipeolu, has urged stronger collaboration among justice sector stakeholders, including the police, lawyers, judges, government agencies, and civil society organisations to effectively combat sexual violence in Nigeria.
Speaking at a stakeholders’ forum in Abeokuta themed “Strengthening Laws, Policies, and Institutional Coordination to Improve Justice Delivery in Sexual Violence Cases”, Justice Dipeolu, represented by Justice Funke Odubanjo, emphasized the judiciary’s pivotal role in safeguarding survivors and ensuring offenders face appropriate sanctions.
She advocated the use of technology, such as video link facilities, to enable vulnerable witnesses, particularly children and traumatised survivors to testify without direct confrontation with accused persons, thereby reducing secondary trauma.
Justice Dipeolu stressed that the judiciary must remain a fortress for survivors, noting that Section 34 of the 1999 Constitution guarantees the dignity of the human person, which underpins judicial responsibility in sexual violence cases. She highlighted the Ogun State Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Law, 2017, as a robust framework but identified challenges such as delayed justice, evidential hurdles, adversarial trial culture, and weak institutional coordination.
To address these gaps, she called for enhanced sentencing practices, adoption of survivor-centred procedures, and stronger institutional collaboration. She further noted that the fight against sexual violence requires collective responsibility from the executive in funding justice institutions, the legislature in strengthening laws, the police in empathetic investigations, civil society in survivor support, and the media in responsible reporting.
Justice Dipeolu commended the Headfort Foundation for Justice for its outreach to over 500,000 women on accessing justice and urged more organisations to bridge the gap between law and the people.
In her remarks, Mrs Oluyemi Orija, Executive Director of Headfort Foundation, reiterated the importance of a survivor-centred justice system and called for adequate government support and funding to sustain reforms. Other speakers included NBA Abeokuta Chairman, Chief Kayode Aderemi; FIDA Chairperson, Mrs Taiwo Olusesi; SP Bunmi Asogbon of the Gender Unit, Ogun State Police Command; and Mrs Adewusi Olajumoke, State Director of Women Empowerment Services.
