In a recent publication, a compendium of President Buhari’s achievements between 2015-
2023, one of his laudable achievements on the list of his impact is the establishment of the
Sexual Offenders Register, managed by Nigeria’s National Agency for the Prohibition of
Trafficking Persons (NAPTIP), funded mainly by the European Union.
A sex offender register is a list of all convicted sex offenders in a state. Sex offender register
generally includes the offender’s address, physical appearance, and criminal history.
Platinumpost.ng findings have revealed that between 2015-2023, out of the 36 states in
In Nigeria, only 10 states have successfully domesticated the Act in their state.
These States include Ogun, Ekiti, Bayelsa, Edo, Akwa Ibom, Bauchi, Adamawa, Abia and
Kaduna, However, a recent check by this newspaper verified that only Lagos, Ekiti, Edo, and
Akwa Ibom states publish the full details of the offenders to ‘name and shame perpetrators
of the act, while for other states, these registers are not updated regularly, defeating their purpose, and giving rise to calls for a national register that will be monitored and updated
frequently.
Sadly, states like Kano, Zamfara, and Katsina, where cases of rape, and other sexual offenses are reported on a weekly basis, are yet to domesticate these registers, making the whole essence
of the register a fruitless one by the Buhari administration.
Since 2020 when Edo State launched its sex offenders register, only 139 cases had been reported. Out of these, 118 cases are in court while the state government secured 18 convictions.
Currently, Edo State is the only state that linked its Sexual Offender Register to the National Sexual Offender Register.
Abia State only launched its Sexual Offenders Register launched in 2021.
The Adamawa State Government launched the Sexual Offenders Database (SOD) to hasten Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) cases in the state in March 2022.
While Akwa Ibom State also publishes sex offenders register under the Akwa Ibom State Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Laws, 2020 Before the national register was launched in 2019,
The Ekiti State Sex Offenders Register was opened in 2013 as part of measures adopted to curb sexual violence in the southwestern state.
Aside from publicly shaming sex offenders, other measures put in place by the Ekiti State government include disqualification of convicted sex offenders from applying for the Prerogative of Mercy, compulsory psychiatric tests for offenders in cases where the victim is a minor, and pasting placards of sex offenders in their last place of abode or prominent places in their local
government headquarters.
However, the Lagos State Ministry of Justice added the details of 32 persons convicted of sexual offences between April 2020 and April 2021 to the Lagos State Sexual Offenders
Register. The sex offender register in Lagos was opened in 2014.
Having a database of all those prosecuted for sexual violence since 2019 means Nigerians are
finally holding perpetrators accountable and taking an important step towards tackling abuse
against women.
The register comes with a service provider register that allows people to report new offenders
through an electronic-based system and a section for suspects cleared of sexual allegations
that is only available to law enforcement agencies.
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