Hafsoh Murder: NGO urges action against GBV

Following the recent brutal killing of Hafsoh Yetunde Lawal, a final-year student of Kwara State’s School of Health, by a Facebook lover penultimate week in Ilorin, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Brain Builders Youth Development Initiative (BBYDI), on Wednesday mobilised a statewide stakeholders’ forum against Gender-Based Violence (GBV) towards an improved society.

The organisers regretted that domestic and societal violence have recently been on the increase in the country, particularly in the state, citing the scenarios in Ekiti State where couples killed themselves over infidelity and the killing of Hafsoh Lawal by her lover, AbdulRahman Bello, as worrisome, describing them as disgusting.

The Executive Director of BBYDI, Hajia Nurah Sanni-Jimoh, in her welcome address to the attendees, including traditional rulers, civil society organisations, security operatives, and various groups across the 16 local governments at the state’s banquet hall, said the gathering was a bold step in the collective fight against what she described as one of the most pressing human rights violations.

Acknowledging the huge support of the Ford Foundation, Nurah lamented that: “GBV remains a deep-rooted societal challenge that threatens the dignity, safety, and well-being of individuals, especially women and girls.”

She explained that, for long, GBV has persisted under different guises in domestic abuse, sexual violence, harmful traditional practices, and even structural discrimination.

“Over the years, we at the BBYDI have remained resolute in our commitment to combating GBV, ensuring that no survivor suffers in silence and that communities take a stand against all forms of violence.

“Our efforts, particularly in Kwara State, have focused on advocacy, prevention, and strategic engagement with key stakeholders, many of whom are present in this hall today.

“As part of our commitment to protecting the rights of women and girls, we have actively advocated the domestication of the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Act in Kwara, Osun, and Niger States. To support this advocacy, we developed a compendium of Discriminatory Laws and Practices Against Women in Nigeria, which provides information on the gaps in the existing laws regarding the rights of women.

“We also produced a fact sheet on the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act and a policy brief highlighting the gaps and the way forward in the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act, 2015.

“Additionally, we trained 25 #SaferNet Ambassadors on online safety. These ambassadors were subsequently deployed to secondary schools across Kwara State to educate students and teachers on digital rights and internet safety,” she listed as part of the group’s many achievements.

She hinted that the day’s programme was yet another significant step forward with the launch of the GBV Advocacy Toolkit, designed to empower individuals, organizations, and policymakers with the necessary knowledge and strategies to prevent and respond to GBV effectively.

She, however, appreciated the encouraging roles of the Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, and the Late Balogun Ajikobi, Alhaji Isiaka Yusuf, in the action against GBV.

The wife of the governor, Ambassador Olufolake AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, represented by the Ministry of Women Affairs’ Director of Procurement, Finance, and Administration (P.F.A.), Akande Adenike, promised to use her platform for the emancipation of women.

She urged encouragement for the womenfolk and general condemnation of the violators of their rights.