The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), says the Muhammadu Buhari-led administration is committed to ending gender-based violence in the country.
He made this known in a statement by his media aide, Umar Gwandu, on Monday in commemoration of this year’s International Women’s Day.
Malami said the Federal Government has focused significant attention on the issue of sexual and gender-based violence and is working towards the establishment of specialized courts and Judicial Divisions focused on sexual and gender-based violence.
Gwandu quoted Malami as saying this during a “Special Event on Gender Dimensions of Criminal Justice Responses to Terrorism”, organized by the United Nations Office on Drug and Crime, UNODC.
The minister noted that he had inaugurated the Inter-Ministerial Management Committee on Eradication of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence with the hope that it would serve as an important tool in helping Nigeria to address the crime.
Malami said he is leading the effort to bring suspected terrorists to justice and also work to include sexual violence-related charges against Boko Haram insurgents.
He further stated that the current administration was fully aware that giving a voice to women was an important aspect of development, even as he described women as important agents of positive change.
He however noted with dismay that terrorist groups continued to kidnap and commit sexual and gender-based violence against women and girls, stressing that preventing these crimes and bringing the perpetrators to justice remained a priority of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government.
“Another emerging area of grave concern is the abduction and kidnapping of teenagers in boarding houses for ransom. The perpetrators targeted this group of people possibly to scare them from schooling. This is indeed a sad situation.
“The Nigerian armed forces and law enforcement agencies are working day and night to combat insecurity, terrorism, kidnapping and abduction of people in the country”.
“We must work to prevent both male and female perpetrators from carrying out these acts and support those who have been victims,” he said.