He warned that poor institutional coordination and inadequate support for survivors were undermining the fight against abuse.

Maduoma said the enactment of laws to protect victims would not guarantee justice unless relevant institutions ensured that survivors could safely report abuses, access protection and obtain timely justice.

He spoke on Wednesday at the opening of a two-day state-level policy dialogue on bridging the implementation gap in the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Law, organised by the CLEEN Foundation in Kaduna.

Maduoma, who was represented by the organisation’s Senior Finance and Administration Manager, Justina Johnson, said the effectiveness of the law should be assessed by its impact on survivors rather than its mere existence.

“The real test of the law is not simply whether it has been enacted, but whether a person experiencing domestic violence can safely seek help and receive a timely response,” he said.

He stressed that survivors of sexual violence must be able to report abuses without intimidation, stigma or victim-blaming, adding that children exposed to violence must receive adequate protection.

Maduoma identified poor coordination among institutions, inadequate public awareness, weak investigation and prosecution, insufficient survivor-centred services and resource constraints as major challenges affecting the implementation of the law.

“These are issues that require careful examination rather than assumptions. We need to understand which challenges are most pronounced in Kaduna State, where institutional processes break down, what is already working, and which reforms are feasible within existing structures,” he said.

The dialogue brought together stakeholders from government ministries, Kaduna State University, the National Human Rights Commission, the CLEEN Foundation and other institutions to examine gaps in the implementation of the law and identify measures to improve access to justice for survivors.

Participants also raised concerns over allegations of sexual and gender-based violence involving some religious leaders, warning that the abuse of spiritual authority could expose women, girls and children to sexual exploitation and psychological trauma.

They expressed concern that some women seeking spiritual guidance over marital and personal challenges were allegedly manipulated by religious leaders who blamed their husbands for their problems and, in some cases, encouraged them to leave their marriages or enter other relationships.

The participants warned that such alleged practices could worsen family disputes and expose vulnerable women to further exploitation.

They also discussed an allegation involving a child who was reportedly raped after being sent to deliver food to a religious leader.

“The alleged perpetrator claimed that the child had a disease and that the sexual assault was intended to remove it,” a stakeholder said.

The participants described the allegation as disturbing, calling for stronger safeguards to prevent the exploitation of children and other vulnerable persons by people occupying positions of trust.

They urged the Kaduna State Government to strengthen enforcement of the VAPP Law and ensure that allegations of sexual offences were promptly investigated and prosecuted where supported by evidence.

They also called for closer collaboration among law enforcement agencies, the judiciary, government institutions, religious organisations and civil society groups to improve the prevention, reporting and prosecution of sexual offences.

Maduoma urged participants to develop practical recommendations that would turn the provisions of the law into meaningful protection for survivors and strengthen institutional accountability.

“Together, we can translate statutory commitments into meaningful protection for all,” he said.

The CLEEN Foundation acknowledged the support of the Royal Norwegian Embassy, noting that the partnership had created opportunities for policy engagement, institutional strengthening and efforts to promote more responsive and accountable justice and security institutions in Nigeria.

The dialogue is expected to identify implementation gaps in Kaduna State and recommend measures to improve institutional compliance, strengthen accountability and ensure that survivors of violence receive adequate protection and access to justice.

I applied the two optional repetition fixes from the log, “turn” for “translate” and “The dialogue” for “The two-day dialogue”. I also reordered the Maduoma urging paragraph slightly so it reads more smoothly. The headline is unchanged, pending your call on “SGBV”.

Source: punchng.com

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The Inspector General of Police, Olatunji Disu, has said the conduct of police personnel before, during and after the 2027 general elections would make Nigerians happy and proud of the force.

He assured Nigerians that police would ensure professionalism during the forthcoming poll.

Disu stated this while fielding questions from newsmen after the launch of a book, “The Origin of Women in Nigeria Police Force,” written by 96-year-old Stella Okuyiga DCP (retd), one of the first 20 pioneer female officers to join the NPF.

While responding to the questions on the police stand on the 2027 election, the IGP said the Force had, in preparation for the election, organised a meeting with commissioners of police across the country to ensure professionalism during the polls.

“I want to let you know that we just finished a conference of all commissioners of police and other senior officers. We have had two or three elections recently, and you can see that the police came out very well, and we did so well.

“We now brought all these experiences together, where we did well and where we did not do well, so that we can perform better in this big election that everybody is looking up to.

“I give you my word. Nigeria Police will do so well, and we will make Nigeria Police so proud, and we will make Nigerians proud,” he said.

Speaking on the author, Disu said she was among the first set of women to join the Nigerian police in 1955, adding that the force is pleased with her recorded achievements.

Disu stated, “Mama is 96 years old and she has taken her time to put all her experience, institutional knowledge that she has down in the book for us to be able to study it, for generation coming, for women police in the next generation to have something to look up to.

“We in the police, we are starting up the history of not leaving our own, not forgetting our own.

“We are going to ensure that we get copies of this book for all police training institutions, for all police officers to go through, to see what it was like to be police officers.”

Disu, who wrote the book’s introduction while serving as Rivers State Commissioner of Police, had promised to ensure the publication of the author’s biography after meeting her.

Speaking at the event, Disu said the launch of the book was a fulfilment of the promise he had made to get the book published after he had written the introduction.

The IGP said he was honoured to have been invited to the book launch, which he termed a celebration of courage and service of a remarkable woman whose pioneering effort shaped the Nigerian Police Force.

“The book launch made more meaning to the International Week of the Girl Child, which reminds us that the ambitions of the girl child cannot be constrained by childhood or by gender,” adding that the author had highlighted an important truth that every police officer must recognise that parental responsibility plays a crucial role in shaping the future of Nigeria, while adult delinquency contributed to many of the country’s security challenges.

While noting that policing alone could not guarantee a safe nation, he stressed that security required homes that instilled discipline and values in children, communities that supported the law, and a police force that worked closely with both.

The IGP described the book launch as more than a literary event, saying it was a celebration of courage, service and the remarkable women whose pioneering efforts helped shape the Nigeria Police Force.

“The women who joined the force in 1955 had their roles and opportunities limited by the realities of that time.

“The women officers showed diligence, determination and resilience to succeed, and it remains a lesson to remind every girl child that their dreams can become a reality.

“Today, we honoured those women for the tradition they left us and their contributions to humanity,” he said.

He recalled how he met Mama, and the latter told her she had written a book and wanted to launch it, saying that thereafter sometimes he would put a call across to her to inquire about the state of the book and when it would be launched.

Disu then revealed that he got a prophetic reply from mama thus: ‘I will launch it when my son becomes the IG’, referring to Disu.

“Mama, your son is now the IGP. I will soon commence the launch of your book,” Disu said, drawing a thunderous applause from the congregants.

The author and retired Deputy Commissioner of Police, who hails from the Okrika Local Government Area of Rivers State, expressed happiness that the publication was not just a book, but a part of her that would live on.

She said: “This book launch today is an important day in my life because the book itself is there. But I still live on because this book will be in libraries all over the world and they’ll be reading it.

“So I’m so happy that with all that is happening today, I will continue to live forever.”

Reflecting on her years in the police force, the retired deputy commissioner said the institution had undergone significant changes since she joined in 1955, noting that population growth had brought new challenges to policing.

She commended Disu for honouring her at the book launch with his presence and for encouraging women to pursue professional development and advancement in the force.

“Policing when we came in and policing now is not the same because the population has exploded. There are life changes,” she said.

In his remarks, Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Dr Dagogo Wokoma, said the book was more than a historical account, as it documented the courage, sacrifices and achievements of the pioneering women who contributed to the development of the Nigeria Police Force.

He said their stories deserved to be preserved, celebrated and passed on to future generations, adding that the contributions of women to policing demonstrated that professionalism, discipline, courage and commitment to public service transcended gender.

He urged younger generations, particularly young women, to draw inspiration from the experiences of the pioneer officers and pursue leadership roles in law enforcement and other areas of national development.

Fubara commended Okuyiga for her determination to document the history of women in the Police Force at the age of 96 and launched the book with the sum of N20m.

The Assistant Inspector-General of Police and force Gender Advisor to the IGP, AIG Aishatu Abubakar, delivered a lecture on the ‘Evolution of women in policing and national security’, saying the environment where women operate has seen policing requiring soft power in confronting crimes such as kidnapping, terrorism and rape rather than manpower, which does not require the use of the brain.

“As mothers, we can easily detect change among people, to know when to engage in policing and intelligence,” he said.

The book was reviewed by Dr Okechukwu Eli, a lecturer at the Faculty of Law, Rivers State University, Port Harcourt.

Source: punchng.com

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Residents and business owners along Ogunrombi Street in the Idimu area of Lagos State have lamented the slow pace of a road rehabilitation project, alleging that construction workers block the road and extort motorists seeking access to the community.

During a visit by PUNCH Metro to the project site on Tuesday following complaints, the residents said the project, which involves resurfacing the road from Ogunrombi Street to Orisunmbare, was awarded by the Lagos State Government with a 12-month completion timeline but remained largely unfinished despite the deadline.

They expressed concern that the delay had caused hardship for motorists and businesses, while also raising questions about the quality of work already executed.

A resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told PUNCH Metro during the visit to the community that work on the project began in July 2025, but the contractors had only scraped the road surface and constructed drainage channels.

“We are bothered by what is going on on our street, Ogunrombi Street, Idimu. The Lagos State Government awarded the contract for resurfacing the road from Ogunrombi to Orisunmbare for 12 months. They started in July 2025.

“As I speak, they have only scraped the surface and done the drainage. That is all they were able to achieve within the scheduled time for delivery of the job,” the resident said.

The resident accused the construction workers of deliberately obstructing traffic and demanding money from motorists before allowing them to pass.

“This week, they did literally nothing other than block the roads with their equipment to prevent vehicular movement, treating the people in the community with contempt. They converted the roadblock into a tollgate, extorting motorists to secure passage,” the resident alleged.

Another resident, Tunde Filani, said the workers had, at one point, used a caterpillar to block the entire road for a week before moving the equipment to one side and parking a truck on the other, leaving motorists with limited access.

He alleged that the workers subsequently demanded money from motorists before allowing them to pass.

Filani said the owner of an event centre along the road had to contact the contractor after the obstruction disrupted access to the facility, prompting the contractor to direct the workers to open the road.

“The suffering is too much for us, and there is no hope that the project will be completed in another year, given the speed of work,” he added.

A commercial motorcycle rider also decried the delay, alleging that the workers blocked the end of the road linking OPC Junction and demanded money from operators before allowing them to pass.

“They used their caterpillar to block the road last month and prevented us from using it. It was blocked at the other end of the road linking OPC Junction. So, we had to pay N10,000 weekly for us to pass,” the rider alleged.

The rider said the payments were made by officials of their unit on behalf of members to secure passage.

Similarly, Francis Udo, a manager of a company located along the road, said the slow pace of construction had adversely affected the business, forcing it to operate at a loss.

Udo explained that the removal of the company’s drive-in access at the commencement of the project had prevented its trucks from entering the premises, while vehicles parked outside had been vandalised twice.

“We have been subjected to hardship as a result of this project. Our business has been running at a loss. When they started, they removed the drive-ins, and since then, we have not been able to move our truck into the compound.

“While we park outside, our truck has been vandalised twice. We had hoped that the work would be completed by July, but they are still foot-dragging,” he lamented.

He also alleged that the workers resorted to blocking the road and demanding money from motorists instead of accelerating the project.

“Instead of them to hasten up, they resorted to block the road and extort motorists. Sometimes, we paid N3,000 before they would allow us passage. It was later that their leader ordered them to open the road,” he alleged.

Beyond the delay and alleged extortion, the residents raised concerns about the quality of the work, particularly the drive-ins constructed along the road.

A resident, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, alleged that some of the drive-ins had started collapsing barely a month after construction.

“The drive-ins they made have started collapsing under the weight of small cars, and this is just a period of one month,” the resident said.

Another resident alleged that some landlords around the Paiko end of the road had contributed money to purchase iron materials after raising concerns about the quality of materials being used by the contractors.

During the visit, PUNCH Metro observed that construction work was ongoing at the Foursquare Avenue end of the road.

A project signboard erected at both ends of the road identified the Lagos State Ministry of Works and Infrastructure as the agency handling the project and indicated a 12-month completion period.

The residents appealed to the state government and relevant authorities to investigate the allegations of extortion and substandard work, ensure the quality of the construction and expedite the project’s completion.

The spokesperson for the Ministry of Works and Infrastructure, Adeshina Odunuga, could not be reached for comment, as calls made to his telephone line on Tuesday were not answered.

A text message sent to him had yet to be replied to as of the time this report was filed.

Source: punchng.com

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