Monday, April 20, 2026 - Stakeholders and gender advocates have called for a fundamental redesign of Nigeria’s justice landscape to ensure it effectively serves women and girls, particularly survivors of gender-based violence.
The call was made during a Ford Foundation dialogue held on
the sidelines of the CSW70 in New York, United States.
The dialogue focused on the effectiveness of Nigeria’s
plural justice system and highlighted that Nigeria’s legal framework—comprising
statutory, customary, and religious systems—often leaves gaps that allow
survivors to fall through the cracks due to high costs, slow processes, and
restrictive cultural norms.
Speaking at the event, the Dein of Agbor, Obi Benjamin
Ikenchukwu Keagboruzi, noted that economic barriers like court fees and
transportation costs often push formal justice out of reach for women, forcing
them to rely on customary systems that may not always protect them.
Justice Bukunola Adebiyi of the Lagos State High Court also emphasized
that laws alone could not guarantee justice.
She stressed the need to strengthen investigation and
evidence-gathering processes to ensure cases did not fail before reaching
judgment.
The Commissioner for Children, Gender Affairs, and Social
Development in Enugu State, Ngozi Enih, shared her perspective as a survivor
and policymaker.
She explained that many families withdrew cases because the
perpetrator was often the breadwinner, stating, “Justice competes with
survival—and too often, survival wins.”
Executive Director of WACOL, Prof Joy Ezeilo (SAN), who
moderated the session, argued that Nigeria’s plural legal system should be
shaped to ensure all platforms evolve toward a single standard of dignity and
equality.
The Regional Director for West Africa at the Ford
Foundation, Dr ChiChi Aniagolu-Okoye, concluded that the future of justice for
Nigerian women lies at the intersection of courts, communities, and cultures,
designed with the lived realities of women at the centre.
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