Over 100 Nigerian ladies murdered in 10 months – Rights group

Chief Operating Officer of DOHS Care Foundation, Mrs Ololade Ajayi, in this interview with BIODUN BUSARI, speaks on the disturbing surge of femicide cases in Nigeria, driven by sexual abuse and gender-based violence and the urgent need to empower and protect Nigeria’s female population

DOHS Care Foundation is dedicated to combating gender-based violence. Could you share the key strategies it employs to achieve this?

DOHS Care for Vulnerable Women and Children Foundation is a dedicated organisation working to end femicide in Nigeria. We primarily support victims and survivors of sexual and gender-based violence, including domestic violence and sexual abuse. Additionally, we advocate an inclusive space for people with disabilities. Our primary focus is on vulnerable women and girls.

DOHS Care began in 2021 with a podcast, Document Our History. I launched it after intervening in numerous abuse cases. Through the podcast, we sought survivors willing to share their stories, using their experiences to inspire others to speak up. In our first year alone, we rescued over 50 women and girls from various abusive situations. Many of these survivors have since transformed into advocates themselves. They now serve as ‘mandated reporters’ in their communities, helping to identify and report abuse cases and extend our organisation’s outreach to those in need.

Did you have a personal experience that fuelled your passion for this cause?

That’s an interesting question. Many people in advocacy are lawyers, journalists, or survivors of abuse themselves. Initially, I didn’t classify myself as a survivor, though I used to share my story about undergoing genital mutilation. But when people began asking, I realised I had my own experience with abuse.

As a child, I was sexually harassed by the barber who cut my hair. Each time I visited his shop, he would lock the door and touch me inappropriately. I was only 10 years old, preparing for secondary school. Whenever I cried afterwards, my family assumed it was because I was upset over my hair being cut. Fear kept me silent because the barber threatened me, the tactics common among abusers. Eventually, I mustered the courage to tell my mum, but by then, he had closed his shop and disappeared—possibly because he had targeted many others.

This experience shaped my awareness of the challenges women and girls face. I have always been a feminist at heart, noticing discrimination and gender inequality even as a child. Girls are often limited in ways boys aren’t, and I’m painfully aware that women and girls endure a disproportionate share of abuse compared to men and boys.

You mentioned that you’re a feminist. What is your perspective on feminism given Nigeria’s cultural belief that men are superior?

Feminism is essentially about equal opportunities for women and girls, acknowledging that some opportunities are often withheld from them due to the patriarchal society we live in.

Feminism isn’t a foreign concept; it has always been part of our history, although many people shy away from the term, fearing it implies hating men. But even in past generations, figures like Efunsetan Aniwura and Olufunmilayo Ransome-Kuti stood up against societal norms that restricted women. For example, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti’s mother opposed unjust tax reforms, and the Aba Women’s Riot was a powerful stance against colonial oppression. These were expressions of feminism, even if not labelled as such.

Feminism is not about hating men; it’s about ensuring that women and girls aren’t denied opportunities or benefits they deserve. Chimamanda Adichie’s statement, “We should all be feminists,” reflects this. Many girls remain out of school, and parents sometimes keep having children until they bear a son, showing a strong gender preference. Feminism challenges the notion that women belong solely in the kitchen and asserts that they have valuable contributions to make in fields like technology and corporate spaces.

Our society is heavily patriarchal, and many gender roles and norms harm women and children.

How has the organisation met its objectives?

We aim to build a new generation of human rights defenders committed to eradicating gender inequality and ensuring that vulnerable women and girls are free from abuse and violence. To tackle sexual and gender-based violence, we address three key drivers: poverty, inequality, and illiteracy.

For illiteracy, we run educational campaigns in rural schools, raising awareness about various forms of abuse. We also have virtual programmes that children across the country can join, featuring role models from Africa who discuss Sustainable Development Goals. We often encounter out-of-school girls who’ve suffered abuse, and we work,  to support their return to school.

For inequality, we conduct sensitisation campaigns in different communities to highlight harmful practices affecting women and children.

To address poverty, we run empowerment programmes like Champion Her during International Women’s Day, focusing on women entrepreneurs, especially widows, women with disabilities, and abuse survivors.

We train them in business digitisation, using social media and financial technology tools to expand their businesses. Additionally, we organise femicide awareness campaigns and partner other organisations. Our team is active in the field, including at police stations and courts, to ensure protection for women and children from all forms of abuse.

There is a rise in femicide in Nigeria. What is driving this issue?

Femicide, defined as the intentional killing of women and girls by intimate partners, family members, or acquaintances, is on the rise in Nigeria. As of Tuesday, we recorded over 100 verified femicide cases in 2024. For example, in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, a man recently killed his wife and injured a neighbour who tried to intervene. Although the verified cases exceed 100, we suspect there are many more. These 100 cases are those we have confirmed through detailed interviews with relatives and from documentation.

Unfortunately, these cases reflect a tragic reality: from January to October, an average of 10 women or girls were killed monthly in Nigeria by husbands, boyfriends, or strangers solely due to their gender.

What is the root cause of this rising menace?

The root cause of femicide can largely be attributed to misogyny—deep-seated bias, hatred, and discrimination against women. Many cases we’ve documented trace back to this mentality. For example, there was a case of a woman in Kano who was burned to death after rejecting a marriage proposal. Such violent responses stem from the belief that men are entitled to dominate women. This bias is also evident in cases involving sex workers, who have been killed by clients simply due to their vulnerability.

Domestic violence is a significant contributor to femicide, where repeated abuse can lead to eventual fatal outcomes. A woman may not die immediately from one incident of violence, but the accumulation of physical abuse can lead to death, making it a form of femicide. When a woman dies following an incident of rape, it is also classified as femicide. Most cases we record involve extremely violent deaths, such as decapitation, strangulation, and stabbing.

Who should be blamed for this menace?

There is a collective responsibility. The media, for one, should label these incidents accurately as femicide, not just murder, to raise public awareness.

When such cases are reported, people need to understand that they reflect a gender-specific form of violence.

The government also bears significant responsibility. There is currently no law in Nigeria that specifically addresses femicide. Perpetrators are tried under general murder laws rather than a femicide law that recognises the gendered nature of the crime. We’ve submitted proposals to the Lagos State House of Assembly and the National Assembly, advocating a bill on femicide. This law is crucial to address the unique discrimination against women that often leads to fatal outcomes.

Furthermore, ritual killings targeting women’s body parts are also a form of femicide. Women are often lured by individuals who have the intention to use their genitals or breasts for rituals. This reflects the violent commodification of female bodies. We have protested, marched, and submitted petitions, but there has been no positive response so far. We continue to urge Honourable Mudashiru Obasa, Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, to take this issue seriously. Laws addressing domestic violence and murder do not adequately cover the realities of femicide.

How do you get funding for your organisation?

Currently, we lack dedicated funding, especially for researching femicide. Comprehensive research requires resources to travel, gather data from police stations, and confirm cases across various states. While we have received occasional funding for activities, such as a recent awareness march supported by a fund from the Netherlands, we lack consistent funding for core femicide research and documentation efforts.

So how did you fund the activities you’ve carried out?

We don’t have partners, except for individuals who support us. I’m always calling for donations, asking people to please donate to our cause. Also, we are taking steps to combat femicide because no one else is tracking the data on femicide in Nigeria right now. We are the ones keeping that data, and you can’t fight something you don’t understand. You have to fight with data. What we’re doing is data activism. We must say, “These are the numbers, this is the reason why, and these are the statistics.” Another reason we need funding is for safe shelters. When women remain in their abusive environments, what do you think will happen? It’s a precursor to femicide. So, we want to establish a safe shelter. We are planning a five-kilometre run in several cities, including Lagos and Abuja, to raise awareness about femicide and to raise funds for a shelter. We want to rent a safe shelter. Having a safe space where victims can go when they’re experiencing abuse is one step ahead of femicide.

What’s your overview of the body language of the Federal Government regarding the fundamental human rights of citizens?

The body language is poor. And it’s very surprising because Nigeria is part of many human rights declarations and has attended numerous United Nations meetings. Nigeria assents to these declarations. But where is the support for human rights defenders in Nigeria? It is next to non-existent. Sometimes, the government doesn’t even want to hear about it. It is almost as if they are on the brink of declaring protests illegal, even though protest is a fundamental human right.

You have the right to assemble. You have the right to say ‘no’. People are protesting against hunger, and then they get locked up. How can those children, those teenage boys, overthrow the country? For human rights defenders in Nigeria, the situation is dire. We don’t have the support system that other countries have. Sometimes we are even endangered and have to run for our lives. When I raise issues with the police, I often have to go into hiding. But the thing is, we will still speak up. When we report a rape case, and they ask for N50,000 or N100,000 before they pursue it, and then we raise the alarm and are threatened, this is not right.

We are first responders to gender-based violence. We should be working hand-in-hand with police and security agents, but there are often clashes. There’s no synergy, no funding from the government, and no support for human rights defenders and advocates. We hope the government will improve in these areas, offering better support for human rights defenders in terms of funding, support networks, and more.