The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), said that he is set to inaugurate the Inter-Ministerial Gender-
The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), said that he is set to inaugurate the Inter-Ministerial Gender-Based Violence Management Committee to address the rising cases of rape in the country.
Among other tasks to be assigned to the committee is reaffirming the policy of opposing bail applications and rejecting plea bargain proposals from perpetrators of rape and child defilement. The committee is also to ensure that such convicted offenders do not get prerogative of mercy.
The committee will comprise “functional and skilled officers drawn from” among others including, the Federal Ministry of Justice, Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development Programme, Federal Ministry of Health, and National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons. It will also include representatives of the National Human Rights Commission, and the Nigerian Legal Aid Council, the Nigerian Police Force, and civil society organisations.
“As a people-oriented government that listens to the yearnings and aspirations of its citizen, the Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Justice has identified with call for national response against rape and sexual assault in the country. In fulfillment of the Ministry’s mandate and its determination to urgently address this heinous crime, the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice will see to the following: The immediate inauguration of an Inter-Ministerial Gender-Based Violence Management Committee that will comprise of functional and skilled officers,” a statement from Malami’s office read.
