PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
August 4, 2025
ABIA STATE’S FIGHT AGAINST SGBV: CEHRAWS RAISES ALARM OVER POOR IMPLEMENTATION OF VAPP LAW AND SYSTEMIC WEAKNESSES IN JUSTICE DELIVERY
The Centre for Human Rights Advocacy and Wholesome Society (CEHRAWS) expresses deep concern over the widening gap between the Abia State Government’s public rhetoric and its actual commitment in the fight against Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV). While commendable steps have been made on paper, particularly the domestication of the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act (VAPP Law), and the just held Public Hearing on a Bill for the Establishment of a Rehabilitation Center for Victims of Rape, Defilement, and Domestic Violence in Abia State, our on-ground observations reveal troubling levels of inertia, weak coordination, and prosecutorial failures that continue to frustrate survivors’ access to justice.
Despite the existence of the Abia State VAPP Law, intended to provide a comprehensive legal framework for the protection of survivors, its implementation has been woefully poor. Survivors of SGBV who courageously report offences are often failed by the justice system at the point of prosecution. CEHRAWS has documented instances where police prosecutors either charge SGBV offences under outdated laws or fail to frame charges in accordance with the VAPP Law, thereby undermining the severity of the offences and jeopardizing the potential for conviction.
This legal misdirection is not merely a technical lapse; it is a violation of the right to equal protection of the law as enshrined in Section 17(2)(a) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and a breach of the duty imposed on state actors to protect vulnerable citizens, especially women and children.
Furthermore, CEHRAWS has identified disturbing operational constraints affecting the Gender Unit of the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Abia State Police Command. Since jurisdictional mandates now require the movement of suspects to courts outside the state capital, the Gender Unit, already grossly underfunded lacks official vehicles or logistical support to transport suspects, effectively stalling prosecutions. While the unit is uncommendably structured and woefully underequipped, it also appears to be underutilized and isolated as well.
Shockingly, the so-called State SGBV Response Team has never visited the SCID Gender Unit, let alone provided support or coordination. This complete breakdown in inter-agency synergy undermines frontline responders’ efforts and reinforces the perception that the state’s commitment to fighting SGBV exists only in speeches, workshops, and occasional media appearances.
As a civil rights organisation committed to promoting justice and the rule of law, CEHRAWS issues the following urgent calls to action:
1. Immediate review and retraining of police prosecutors handling SGBV cases to ensure strict adherence to the VAPP Law and proper charge framing.
2. Provision of operational vehicles and logistics to the SCID Gender Unit to facilitate prompt movement of SGBV suspects to courts across all jurisdictions in Abia State.
3. Activation and full functionality of the State SGBV Response Team, including routine field visits to key enforcement units like the Gender Desk and coordinated multi-agency response protocols.
4. Public clarification and rebuttal from the relevant authorities, especially the Nigeria Police Force, regarding these allegations, if they are untrue. Silence, in the face of such claims, would only confirm systemic complicity.
5. Establishment of a survivor-centered approach to justice, including legal aid, psychosocial support, and provision of safe shelters for victims in line with Sections 38, 39, 40, 45, 46, and 49 of the Abia State VAPP Law 2020.
It is no longer acceptable to cloak inaction with colorful banners and sensitization campaigns that have no measurable outcomes. Justice must not only be done but be seen to be done, especially for the most vulnerable in our society.
Let it be on record that CEHRAWS will continue to monitor the handling of SGBV cases in Abia State, and we remain ready to publish findings, pursue litigation, and engage national mechanisms if the status quo persists.
Signed:
Okoye, Chuka Peter
Executive Director – CEHRAWS
cehrawws@gmail.com | +234(0)803-552-9865.
