FIDA Nigeria Presents VAPP Law To Citizens In Southern-Borno
By Rukayya Idris
The International Federation of Women Lawyers Nigeria, Borno State Branch, has on Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022, organized a one-day workshop to present the new “Violence against Persons Prohibition” Law to Biu Local Government Area.
The event took place at an event centre in Biu and had local government stakeholders, security personnel, humanitarian advocates, religious leaders, students and people with disability in attendance.
Chairperson International Federation of Women Lawyers Borno Branch, Hafsatu Isah Bappah, said: “the law was made by the Borno State House of Assembly and was enacted by His Excellency, Engr. Prof. Babagana Umara Zulum on the 10th of January 2022”.
“The law was provided to prohibit any form of violence against persons which includes, physical, psychological, sexual, domestic in public and private life and to provide maximum protection, effective remedies, punishment of offenders and other related matters connected therewith”.
The Chairperson also said, a similar workshop “was organized in Hawul Local Government on the 30th of September, 2022 to introduce the Borno State Violence Against Persons Prohibition Law and to distribute the abridged version of the law.”
“The purpose of disseminating the abridged copy of the law is to enable the organization to create more awareness, understanding and appreciating the law as it was meant to educate the society on offences and punishment in pictorial view”.
Giving an overview of the organisation, Fatsuma Salihu, the Secretary of FIDA-NIGERIA Borno State Bra said: “the acronym FIDA is for the Spanish name of the organization ‘FederacioInternacionalal de abogadas’ which translates to ‘International Federation of Women Lawyers.
“The non-governmental organization has formally inaugurated 42 branches around the 32 states of the federation including the Federal Capital Territory Abuja”. Ms Salihu.
“The mission of FIDA Nigeria is to promote protect and preserve the rights, interests and well-being of women and children through the use of legal frameworks to achieve a peaceful and equitable society where women and children’s rights and interests are guaranteed”
Participants at the workshop applauded the state government for enacting the VAPP law.
A female Police Inspector, Talatu Adamu, is of the view that “the VAPP law is a very good step toward tackling the issue of violence against persons in the state.”
“After attending the workshop I now have new powers and rights to approach such matters in the cause of my operation as a security personnel.”
The police officer urged the Nigerian government to enact the VAPP law at the national level.
In an interview with The Humanitarian Times, Women Development Initiative Officer, Biu Local Government, Ladidi Mohammed said “the new law is a positive move in reducing the hardship of women and children in particular.”
“International Federation of Women Lawyers Nigeria has been helping to secure justice for victims in Souther Borno because I have been working with the organization for over two years”.
The Chief Imam, Biu Local Government Area, Alhaji Nuruddeen Umoru Isah, in his goodwill message noted “as religious leaders, we would take every possible measure within our power to pass down the law to local communities and ensure that the law works strictly on the perpetrators”.
The CAN chairman of Biu local government, Pastor Usakahyel Inusa, also called on parents to exhibit good characters that would servan e as examples to their children,
“Following religious teachings, violence against persons is unacceptable and also prohibited among all religious faith” the CAN secretary added that “the law would work on offenders without favour, so I am advising young people to disease from substance abuse because it is what directly triggers violence among youth”.
