KOGI STATE ESTABLISHES NINE FAMILY COURTS TO FIGHT GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE

The state government has reinforced its legal framework against Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) by establishing nine Family Courts, in addition to Magistrate courts dedicated to GBV cases. Attorney-General Muiz Yinus Abdullahi (SAN) made the announcement during a courtesy visit from NGO Project Ebulejonu .
Kogi enacted the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Law in 2022 and created a GBV Directorate in 2024. The government has also provided capacity-building training for law enforcement and crown prosecutors to tackle harmful cultural practices. However, Abdullahi identified systemic challenges, including victim-shaming, insufficient funding, and lack of public awareness.
Barrister Elizabeth Achimugu, the NGO’s Executive Director, emphasized that the advocacy is part of a multi-pronged approach, targeting uneducated and vulnerable populations. She urged collaboration across MDAs, traditional institutions, and religious bodies, and called for punitive treatment of unreformed offenders to reaffirm the government’s zero-tolerance stance.