Osun State Chief Judge Pledges Accelerated Hearing for SGBV Cases During NHRC OSUN's Advocacy Visit

In a significant step to advance the rights of women and girls in Osun State, the Osun State Office of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) paid a courtesy visit to the Chief Judge of Osun State, Hon. Justice Adepele Ojo, as part of activities commemorating the 2024 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence.

The visit, which took place on Wednesday, 27 November 2024, focused on advocating for the speedy resolution of cases involving Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) in the state. The Osun State Coordinator of the NHRC, Mrs Nneka Anigbo, highlighted the urgency of granting accelerated hearings for SGBV cases, emphasizing that swift justice is vital to protecting survivors and deterring future offenses. 

Mrs Anigbo also stressed the need to prevent withdrawal or discontinuance of SGBV cases from court as this is a common practice by perpetrators and their families. She explained that the VAPP Law stipulates that it is a crime to prevent or obstruct survivors' access to justice. She equally stated that there's a need to keep record of SGBV cases for the purpose of data collection.

In her response, Hon. Justice Adepele Ojo reaffirmed her commitment to ensuring justice for victims of SGBV. She assured the NHRC team that High Court judges with experience in handling SGBV cases would be assigned to such matters. She further emphasized that no case would be unnecessarily delayed, stating, "Justice delayed is justice denied."