It is disturbing that more than 133 Nigerian women and girls were killed in gender-related violence in 2024. This was contained in DOHS Cares Foundation 2024 femicide reports covering January 1, 2024 to December 31, 2024. According to the non-governmental organisation dedicated to eradicating gender-based violence (GBV), the victims included women, girls and teenagers. The statistics were generated from the foundation’s tracker dashboard, which monitors cases of femicide across Nigeria in the media.
DOHS Cares founder, Ololade Ajayi, said its verified data revealed 12 women were killed between January and March, 2024, including three-year-old Asiya, whose body was discovered in Bauchi State, with some body parts missing, after she was reported missing. In the second quarter of 2024, DOHS reported that 33 women were killed. One of the heartrending killings included that of 100-year-old Aminat, who was allegedly murdered by her 67-year-old son, following a dispute over palm oil sales. Another was a 69-year-old widow, Ifeoma Ajuluchukwu, beaten to death while battling an illness.
The report also revealed that, in the third quarter of 2024, 31 deaths were reported across the country. It included Ifeoma Eze Esther, a first-year student at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, who was pushed from a hotel’s third floor by unidentified men, and nine-year-old Runaisa Sadiq, who was raped and murdered by a pharmacy owner in Kano, who was treating her for malaria. The remaining 57 women were killed in the last quarter of 2024. A victim, 24-year-old Priscilla Ocheme, was found dead after visiting her male friend on October 21.
A breakdown of the femicide cases revealed that the victims cut across different age brackets, from the elderly to middle age, teenagers and children. Some were domestic and poverty-driven, while others were ritual-related. Others were naked aggression and unexplained in some cases. The wrists of 13-year-old Oriyomi Gboyega found in the possession of a cleric underlined the ritual implications of some of the killings. We decry the rising cases of femicide in the country. We also frown at the quest for get-rich-quick syndrome which might be responsible for some of these heinous killings. The economic hardship in the country should not be a justification for the killing of innocent Nigerians. We enjoin Nigerian youths to embrace hard work and stop believing in voodoo money-making rituals. Let them understand that there is no shortcut to success.
It is good that some of the suspects have been arrested by the police. They should be expeditiously tried. We urge Nigerians to report femicide cases to the police. This is the only way the perpetrators of femicide will be brought to book. Security agencies should promptly respond to such distress calls. The government and civil society organisations should intensify media campaigns to create more awareness on gender-related violence.
Considering our poor statistical culture, many femicide cases might be unreported. There is need to ensure that all cases of femicide are documented. To reduce the number of femicide cases across the country, the federal government should enact stronger laws to punish the perpetrators of gender-based violence. Imposing stiffer punishment on the perpetrators will dissuade others from toeing the evil path. There should be more laws to protect women in the country. Women rights should be respected by all. The quest for an egalitarian society begins when all genders are accorded the same respect and privileges.
Globally, a woman is killed every ten minutes. A 2023 United Nations (UN) report showed that 85,000 women and girls were killed intentionally in 2023. About 60 per cent of these women were killed by intimate partners or family members. In 2023, Africa recorded the highest rates of intimate partner and family-related homicides. We believe that violence against women and girls is preventable. The UN has called for robust legislation, improved data collection, greater government accountability, a zero-tolerance culture, and increased funding for women’s rights organisations and institutional bodies. There is also a need for an urgent international response to femicide.
The disturbing femicide report in Nigeria also underscores the imperative of having a strong criminal justice system that holds perpetrators accountable, while ensuring adequate support for survivors. Silence would enable perpetrators of femicide to escape justice and look for the next victim to kill. A multi-sectoral approach is needed to reverse the rising spate of femicide in Nigeria.
Above all, we must get rid of biases and norms that perpetuate violence against women in the country. Let us see women as an integral part of the society that will contribute immensely to its socio-economic development.