By Daniel Oluwatobiloba Popoola
The Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (DSVA) has sensitised Baales on the Mainland and chiefs of Igbobi-Sabe on domestic violence, sexual violence and child abuse, as part of efforts to take the campaign against gender-based violence to the grassroots.
The programme was held on Friday, 18 September, 2026, at the palace of the Oba of Igbobi-Sabe His Royal Majesty, Oba Adeyemi Adeniyi.
The monarch invited all Baales across the Mainland, together with the chiefs of Igbobi-Sabe, so that the message would reach every community.
The agency’s Community Engagement Officer, Mr Adenuga Adeleke, said the Lagos State Government mandated the agency to educate community leaders on the three major forms of abuse to tackles: domestic violence, sexual violence and child abuse.
He explained that traditional rulers were chosen because they are closer to the people than government officials, and that residents usually report to their Baale or king before approaching a government agency.
He added that many perpetrators commit abuse because they do not know the position of the law.
He defined domestic violence as violence within the family circle, including between husband and wife, brothers and sisters, and blood relatives. Its forms, he said, include physical, sexual, verbal, emotional, psychological and financial abuse.
Physical violence, he said, involves inflicting harm through beating, shoving and strangling. It commonly occurs between spouses, whether a husband attacks his wife or a wife attacks her husband.
He noted that the proportion of men who report such cases remains very low, but expressed the hope that more would come forward as publicity increases.
He stressed that physical violence is punishable under the law. However, he clarified that most domestic violence cases are not criminal matters that go to court, but are settled at the agency’s office.
Adeleke described sexual violence as sexual activity with another person without that person’s consent, adding that forcing oneself on someone amounts to sexual abuse.
On marital sexual violence, he said many men believe that payment of dowry gives them the liberty to do whatever they wish with their wives. The government, he said, maintains that dowry confers no such right, and that forcing sex on a wife is punishable as sexual assault by penetration. Consent must be sought even in marriage, he said, citing a wife who returns home late after hours in traffic and says she is tired. Any further attempt to force her, he said, is an offence.
He described verbal, emotional and psychological abuse as abuse perpetrated through utterances, and said it is more harmful than physical abuse because it is not visible. Victims may slump or suffer a psychological breakdown without anyone knowing the cause, he said.
He defined financial abuse as depriving a partner of financial rights, including stopping a wife from working for fear that she may become wealthier than her husband or be attracted to other men.
Adeleke also highlighted technology-facilitated sexual and gender-based violence, which he called “the new pandemic”. According to him, perpetrators use mobile phones and social media to harass victims sexually, send them nude pictures and stalk them, including by showing up at their churches, mosques and workplaces.
He warned that unsolicited sexual texts and images become an offence once the recipient says she does not appreciate them and the sender continues.
On rape, he defined it as forceful sexual activity between adults without consent. He explained consent with the acronym FRIES: it must be freely given, without duress; reversible, meaning a person can say yes and later say no; informed; enthusiastic, meaning pleasurable to both parties; and specific about what is consented to.
He defined defilement as any sexual activity between an adult and a child, noting that the law defines a child as anyone from age zero to 17. An adult who has sexual activity with a person who is not yet 18, he warned, has defiled that child. Rape and defilement both attract life imprisonment without the option of a fine, he said, adding that ignorance is not an excuse in a court of law.
Adeleke defined child abuse as any act that violates the rights of a child, and noted that every child in Lagos State belongs to the government. He said parents are allowed to train their children, but any punishment that inflicts pain or harm constitutes abuse.
Oba Adeyemi Adeniyi In his remarks, the monarch said he brought the programme to his palace because he had seen many similar programmes on television but believes sensitisation should be taken into communities.
He explained that he invited Baales from different quarters so that whatever they learned would be taken back to their communities.
He said many people do not see certain acts as abuse, and urged residents not to abuse children, stressing that the law is no respecter of anybody.
The monarch disclosed that agency officials would visit the communities to sensitise market women, artisans and all indigenes of Igbobi-Sabe. He said the Baales would first prepare their people, to allay fears that government officials were coming to arrest them.
The agency also assured residents that those who report cases need not give their names, but must ensure that the information they provide is accurate and truthful.
Olori Musumola Adeniyi, Olori of Igbobi-Sabe, said she was elated by the programme. She described herself as a feminist and said she was glad that Nigerian men were being educated. She acknowledged that abuse against men also happens, but urged men not to beat their wives or abuse them verbally. She advised women to find something to do, however small, to support their husbands.
“Don’t wait for Baba Jamil to come before you buy food for the children,” she said. “We need them around for a long time. When you say I do, it’s two people.”
She urged residents to drink moderately, noting that some men beat their wives under the influence of alcohol and do not remember it the next morning.
“You can scold your household, you can scold your children, but don’t scold them to the extent of punching them, beating them,” she said.
The Aro of Igbobi-Sabe, High Chief Alaka Yusuf, described the programme as a wonderful enlightenment for Baales and chiefs. He said Baales are the first point of contact whenever there is an issue in a community.
Yusuf commended the monarch for organising the programme, saying domestic violence had become rampant in communities. He said the Lagos State Government had always been a trailblazer, and that domestic violence and child abuse had “come to stay”.
“Anybody that is found will have to face the law. We must say no to domestic violence and children abuse in Nigeria,” he said.
