How GBV victims are silenced in Benue

Basirat Ahmed (not real name) suffered a fracture on her hand following a domestic violence that occurred at her home in North Bank, a suburb of Makurdi Local Government Area in Benue State. Basirat was beaten by her husband following a mere argument while they were both watching a movie on their television set. It […]

Basirat Ahmed (not real name) suffered a fracture on her hand following a domestic violence that occurred at her home in North Bank, a suburb of Makurdi Local Government Area in Benue State.

Basirat was beaten by her husband following a mere argument while they were both watching a movie on their television set.

It was not the first time the mother of five would receive severe beating from her husband, but as usual, she would endure the harsh treatment and not report the matter to anyone.

However, the situation worsened when her husband fractured one of her hands during the first week of December 2025. She bore the pain in silence until neighbours escalated the matter by drawing the attention of her family members and a human rights activist to intervene for the sake of the woman’s life and that of her children.

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Basirat’s ordeal is one of the many revealing the disturbing rise of domestic violence and other forms of gender-based violence (GBV) in Benue State.

Another victim, Cindy Ejike, 58, was allegedly battered repeatedly by her unemployed husband, who later ejected her and their children from their home and attempted to sell property documents she laboured to acquire before activists stepped in.

The documents were after all recovered for Cindy while the husband committed to an undertaking not to abuse his wife anymore.

Also, Gordy Terkula, a Makurdi resident, narrated how a woman recently stabbed her spouse to death and the lifeless body was rushed to the hospital where he works, but there was nothing the doctors could do.

Terkula noted that many homes he knew were already in ruins, occasioned by domestic violence.

“Some of these issues are not even reported because some families resort to settling it behind closed doors,” he said.

Hajiya Hawa Isah, the chairperson of the women wing of Jama’atu Nasir Islam, Benue State chapter, also said cases of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) were alarming as she received complaint every day.

Hajiya Hawa, who handled the cases of Basirat and Cindy, is worried that there are rising cases of domestic violence and sexual harassment in the state, citing examples of women breaking their silence during the yearly 16-days of activism between November 25 and December 10.

She explained that Basirat’s case was promptly reported to the police, even against the victim’s family wish and it is now under investigation.

“The man in question will not only beat his wife but would mete out same treatment to his children,” she said.She added that there were more cases at different stages handled by her organisation – some in court or settled by the police – while others were effectively managed by the Human Rights Commission, which sometimes secured convictions for offenders.

“It is not that it (GBV) was not happening before now but women are now breaking the silence, especially during these 16 days of activism. You know that before now, people looked at it as a normal thing, while victims were shamed. The culture of silence has thrived too long because the society itself covers up a lot of things.

“Religious leaders and traditional rulers were the first courts when some things happened in the society, but today, the same society covers up ills; and that’s when we started getting things wrong. However, people are becoming more aware and enlightened to take the right action. It is important to get justice because some victims whose issues are not addressed might become depressed or take to deviant behaviour for life. For instance, we have one person raping up to 13 girls and such person is celebrated. It ought not to be so. We have them in the community.

“I handled a case like that in the Muslim community; and I am happy with the way things are going presently. The law will prosecute such offenders.

The society must cooperate with the law to rid communities of such people. Some women are going through hell in their homes,” she said.

She added that the creation of gender units in all police stations had addressed a lot of issues in the state, even as she praised the head of the gender unit at the police headquarters in Makurdi, CSP Ann Ameh, for helping to bring succour to many victims across Benue.

She cited past cases involving the rape of minors and a father impregnating his daughter in the Moslem community, adding that currently, another man has carted away their house documents, abandoning his wife and four children. She said it’s one of the common challenges being tackled by activists across the state.

“I am happy now that with the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) law, nobody should comprise SGBV cases,” she added.

Our correspondent reports that cases of domestic violence and other forms of GBV are trending in Benue State, with rights advocates seeking stiffer punishment to deter offenders.

For example, in November 2024, Dr Sam Terungwa Ngishe reported that Benue recorded 4,000 cases of rape and spousal abuse. He said the cases were recorded in 2023 alone.

Ngishe, who was at the time the Benue State epidemiologist/state project coordinator of Nigeria COVID-19 Preparedness and Response Project (CoPREP), made the disclosure during the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on gender-based violence/sexual exploitation and abuse/sexual harassment in the state.

Recall that the memorandum of understanding was signed between the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Welfare and Ministry of Health and Human Resources, alongside other partners drawn from the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC)), Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), Benue State chapter.

The project coordinator explained that there’s the possibility that the figure of GBV could rise to 8,000 in the nearest future following the awareness being created, but allayed people’s fear over a possible rise in figure.

He said the awareness of gender-based violence became glaring and noticed during the lockdown occasioned by Covid-19 epidemic in 2020.

Ngishe said, “In Benue State, we have over 4,000 recorded cases of gender-based violence; and this figure is before all the interventions we are having now.

“Before now, traditional rulers who are custodians of culture had been pushing these cases under the carpet, and there is every possibility that this figure will rise to 8,000 soon.

“The reason for this is because of the awareness being created; and when this happens, you don’t need to panic.”

On her part, the programme (CoPREP) consultant, Dooshima Ageh, expressed worry over the incidents of wife battery, emotional abuse and wife estrangement, saying reported case were on the high side.

She said other cases of GBV incidents in the state included children and spousal abuse.

“During the 2020 lockdown, there were over 500 cases of violent acts reported between August and September, 2020.

“In 2023, 3,841 cases were reported in the state and captured on the gender-based violence dashboard for Benue State.

“These cases include rape, spousal abuse, child abandonment, trafficking of persons, denial of resources, psychological/emotional abuse, battery, stalking, destruction of properties and denial of inheritance rights.

Ageh added that the violent acts had led to the maiming, mental instabilities, deaths and discord in the communities, even as she stressed the need to work together to eliminate gender-based violence and promote the human rights of women and girls in the state.

To this end, the signing of the memorandum of understanding was to assist the two ministries and their partners deliver on the expectation of the partnership, which is to prevent and respond to GBV cases in a human right approach, based on local, national and international best practices and protocols.

By January, 2025, however, the International Dialogue Forum for Peace (IDFP) urged traditional and religious leaders to take the lead in combating SGBV in Nigeria, warning that the crisis was worsening due to a culture of silence.

Imam Fuad Adeyemi, the coordinator of the Central Coordinating Council (CCC) of the IDFP, made the call during a one-day Engagement Forum on Development and Validation of SGBV Accountability Framework for Community Faith-Based Actors in Nigeria, organised in Makurdi with support from Uniuted Nations (UN) Women.

In his virtual address, Adeyemi stressed that SGBV affected all levels of the society but remained largely hidden, preventing stakeholders from effectively addressing it.

“The issue of SGBV is widespread, affecting both the low and high-ranking members of the society. Unfortunately, the secrecy surrounding these acts prevents relevant stakeholders from taking action,” he said.

Adeyemi lamented that the silence around SGBV had aggravated the problem, adding that the ongoing initiative would help sensitise participants on tackling the menace.

 

This report is supported by Humangle Strengthening Community Journalism and Human Rights Advocacy in Northern Nigeria (SCOJA) Fellowship

 

Speaking at the event, Mrs Lantana Abdullahi, the project officer for the IDFP, emphasised the need for faith-based leaders to drive advocacy and policy reforms through stronger advocacy and data collection in SGBV prevention.

“GBV comes in many forms – physical, emotional and psychological – and remains one of the most pervasive human rights violations worldwide,” Abdullahi said.

She explained that many survivors, especially women and children, suffered in silence due to a lack of support systems.

“We are here to develop a database by engaging SGBV prevention actors, including traditional rulers, community leaders, civil society organisations and the media. With support from UN Women, Nigeria, we aim to better understand and document the SGBV crisis in Nigeria,” she added.

Mrs Abdullahi noted that reports indicated that SGBV cases were rising at an alarming rate, though many incidents remain underreported and inadequately addressed, urging traditional rulers to amplify the voices of survivors and ensure that cases are reported and documented.

On their part, the Faith-Based Organisations (FBO) wants action as Mrs Maryam Yakubu, a former president of the Federation of Muslim Women Association of Nigeria (FOMWAN), Benue State chapter, said the organisation had compiled a directory of faith-based SGBV actors to enhance awareness and response efforts.

“We are working with stakeholders in our communities to tackle SGBV. However, prominent individuals often attempt to cover up cases, discouraging survivors from speaking out,” she lamented.

Prof Peter Agogo, a lecturer in the Benue State University, commended the initiative, emphasising the need for a practical and faith-aligned SGBV accountability framework.

“Violence knows no religion. Many women, children and young girls suffer in silence. Faith and traditional leaders must commit to monitoring, reporting and intervening in SGBV cases,” he urged.

Meanwhile, CSP Ann Ameh, the officer-in-charge of the gender-unit at the Benue State police command, believe that the ongoing interventions was positively impacting on the society as shown in the reduction of cases reported at the command in recent times.

“Since December 10 when the 16 days of activism climaxed, we have received only two cases. However, we can’t completely predict decline as there could be rise afterwards,” she said.

She attributed cultural influences to the silence around victims of SGBV, stressing that while women suffer most, the male victims hardly ever report abuses from their female partners.

“The reduction in cases reported could also be traced to the ‘He-for-She’ advocates – men who are sensitising their fellow men about GBV. And lots of interventions are ongoing,” the police officer said.

 

This report is supported by Humangle Strengthening Community Journalism and Human Rights Advocacy in Northern Nigeria (SCOJA) Fellowship