JUSTICE: FG’s Mobile Courts Offer Hope in Fight Against Bullying, S€xual Violence & Other Crimes

In an effort to contain the increasing cases of bullying, child labour, child trafficking, and sexual and gender-based violence, among others, the Federal Government, on Thursday, 20th of June, unveiled mobile courts that will instantly try culprits without delay.

Announcing in Abuja at a stakeholders meeting, the Women Affairs minister, Mrs Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, said the courts will ensure justice is meticulously and speedily served.

New operational methods

Explaining how the new guidelines and mobile courts will help clip the wings of persistent acts of bullying in schools, hotels, hospitals, and NGOs, which are believed to be hotbeds of sexual and gender-based violence and child abuse, among other crimes, Mrs. Kennedy-Ohanenye said signs warning potential violators will be posted in strategic places within these settings. She added that there will be toll-free numbers where victims or eyewitnesses can report culprits.

“The implementation of the mobile court will usher in guidelines for new operational methods for all hotels, hospitals, both private and public, private and public schools and NGOs. All hotels should display posters that no underage girls or children are allowed to lodge in hotels. All primary and secondary schools should display signposts, and there must be a sitting teacher in every classroom for both primary and secondary,” the minister for Women Affairs disclosed.

Sad examples

Despite the government’s numerous efforts to curtail bullying and sexual molestations in the country, the menaces have rather continued to resurrect even at the least expected places. Recent studies put bullying in Nigerian schools between 70 per cent and as high as 85 per cent. Some of the victims are reported to have died after going through excruciating pain from the physical and psychological injuries inflicted on them by their violators
For instance, on the 30th of November 2021, Sylvester Oromoni, a student of Dowen College in Lagos, reportedly died following the injuries he sustained after he was allegedly bullied by some of his senior colleagues in school.

Also in 2021, a 14-year-old boarding student of Premiere Academy in Abuja, Karen-Happuch Aondodoo Akpagher, died from complications after she was reportedly sexually assaulted by her senior colleagues. Relics of condoms were exhumed from her private parts.

The two recent cases of bullying which stirred outrage on social media happened in Abuja and Ondo state, respectively. In the Abuja incident, a video of a female student of the Lead British International School, later identified as Maryam Hassan, went viral after she was bullied by another female colleague who repeatedly hit her. However, despite the repeated slaps Maryam received from her colleague, she never raised her hands to hit her back, and neither did she utter a word.
The video would later catch the attention of the government, and Lead British International School would be later shut down for a probe into what triggered the abuse. While Nigerians await the outcome of the investigation, another incident of bullying was recorded in Bamidele Olumilua University of Education, Science and Technology in Ondo State’s capital, Ekiti. The school management swiftly expelled the two students who reportedly bullied another student.

Experts have associated the increase in cases of bullying, child abuse, sexual molestation, and others in the country with a lack of policies and delays in court judgment. In 2021, one of Nigeria’s leading online newspapers, Premium Times, reported that the Federal High Court across the country had over 128,000 cases in its dockets to be presided over by no more than 75 judges. This means a judge will have to preside over 1700 cases. Given the complex processes of court cases, experts say the judges barely give judgment on half of the cases on their desks in a year.

Experts say with this practice, some of the victims decide not to take their violators to court since they know that they can’t get justice immediately. Also, experts argue that their violators have continued to have their field day since the courts where they are supposed to be tried for their crimes against humanity have thousands of cases they are grappling with. Experts say currently, the country’s courts have thousands of cases of bullying, sexual molestation, and child labour, among others, that have not been treated.

Experts commend the federal government for planning to implement mobile courts where justice will be served without delay. However, they urge the government to ensure the courts live to their expectations. In other words, the courts should not deviate from their establishment and ensure that offenders are appropriately tried.