Dr Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi

Executive Director WARDC. Human/Women's Rights Activist, Attorney, feminist, governance and development consultant.

[Dr Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi @abiolaak]

Nigeria cannot continue to normalise the abduction of women, girls and children.

From schools to farms, highways to rural communities, women are living under siege while families are left to negotiate ransoms and plead for help.

Womanifesto demands:
• Immediate rescue of all victims still in captivity
• Transparent investigations & prosecution of perpetrators
• Stronger protection for schools, highways & rural communities
• Accountability for security failures
• Psychosocial and medical support for survivors
• Gender-responsive security strategies to protect women and girls

Every kidnapped woman or child is a painful reminder of a nation failing its people. Enough is enough.

@PoliceNG @SavvyRinu @faree_for_real @BigBadReni @oyostategovt @followKWSG

[Dr Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi @abiolaak]

The violent assault on Senator Ireti Kingibe, a female aspirant, and ADC officials is deeply disturbing and unacceptable. Sadly, this is not an isolated incident.

The week has been full of stories and we are documenting several reports of women being attacked, intimidated, harassed, and brutalised during party primary elections across Nigeria.

In Borno State, videos reportedly show women being harassed at the APC primaries in the Bama/Ngala/Kala Balge Federal Constituency. Women were allegedly kicked, assaulted, and forcefully driven out of polling stations. We have also received reports that Hon. Dr. Zainab Gimba was attacked during the primaries by opponent thugs.

Even more troubling are allegations that security agencies present were compromised and failed to protect the women under attack.

This reflects the harsh reality many women face in Nigerian politics. Women are made to suffer enormous hardship simply for daring to participate in leadership and public service. Many are threatened, silenced, physically assaulted, and humiliated in spaces where they should be protected and respected.

Women in politics should not have to risk their safety, dignity, or lives to serve the public. These attacks must not be normalised.

We call for immediate investigations and the swift prosecution of all those responsible. Nigeria’s political space cannot continue to operate like a battlefield where violence and impunity silence women’s voices.

@BigBadReni @SavvyRinu @faree_for_real

[Dr Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi @abiolaak]

The violent assault on Senator Ireti Kingibe, a female aspirant, and ADC officials is deeply disturbing and unacceptable. Sadly, this is not an isolated incident.

The week has been full of stories and we are documenting several reports of women being attacked, intimidated, harassed, and brutalised during party primary elections across Nigeria.

In Borno State, videos reportedly show women being harassed at the APC primaries in the Bama/Ngala/Kala Balge Federal Constituency. Women were allegedly kicked, assaulted, and forcefully driven out of polling stations. We have also received reports that Hon. Dr. Zainab Gimba was attacked during the primaries by opponent thugs.

Even more troubling are allegations that security agencies present were compromised and failed to protect the women under attack.

This reflects the harsh reality many women face in Nigerian politics. Women are made to suffer enormous hardship simply for daring to participate in leadership and public service. Many are threatened, silenced, physically assaulted, and humiliated in spaces where they should be protected and respected.

Women in politics should not have to risk their safety, dignity, or lives to serve the public. These attacks must not be normalised.

We call for immediate investigations and the swift prosecution of all those responsible. Nigeria’s political space cannot continue to operate like a battlefield where violence and impunity silence women’s voices.

@BigBadReni @SavvyRinu @faree_for_real

[Dr Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi @abiolaak]

Some years back, I was the lead consultant of the Safe School Initiative in what culminated into Nigeria’s National Policy on Safety, Security and Violence-Free Schools in Nigeria.

https://t.co/3GVKK9IP7O

Five years later, implementation remains painfully slow despite a clear framework and implementation plan.

We proceeded to the National Assembly @nassnigeria @Senator_Akpabio and submitted a draft bill to Senator Mohammed Moguno. It passed first reading… and then silence.

At a time when children in Ogbomoso are reportedly going to school with cutlasses for “self-protection,” this is no longer a policy conversation sitting on a shelf. It is a national emergency.

I call on Senator Mohammed Moguno to make the Safe Schools Bill a legislative legacy project and ensure dedicated funding for safe school implementation is captured in the national budget. Policies without budgetary backing become paperwork while children remain vulnerable.

Bauchi State has already shown what political will can achieve. Following our engagement on the policy, the Bauchi State House of Assembly passed the Schools’ Safety, Security and Violence-Free Bill into law, creating a legally binding framework to protect students, teachers, and school infrastructure from violence, kidnappings, and attacks.

The law established a dedicated Schools Safety Commission aligned with the UN Safe Schools Declaration, while the state also implemented practical measures including School Protection Squads, CCTV surveillance, perimeter fencing, emergency safety protocols, and community-based security structures for vulnerable schools.

The policy already exists. The framework already exists. What Nigeria now needs is legislation, implementation, and sustained budgetary commitment.

Nigeria’s children deserve schools that nurture learning, not survival instincts

@BigBadReni @NhrcNigeria @faree_for_real @SavvyRinu

[Dr Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi @abiolaak]

Some years back, I was the lead consultant of the Safe School Initiative in what culminated into Nigeria’s National Policy on Safety, Security and Violence-Free Schools in Nigeria.

https://t.co/3GVKK9IP7O

Five years later, implementation remains painfully slow despite a clear framework and implementation plan.

We proceeded to the National Assembly @nassnigeria @Senator_Akpabio and submitted a draft bill to Senator Mohammed Moguno. It passed first reading… and then silence.

At a time when children in Ogbomoso are reportedly going to school with cutlasses for “self-protection,” this is no longer a policy conversation sitting on a shelf. It is a national emergency.

I call on Senator Mohammed Moguno to make the Safe Schools Bill a legislative legacy project and ensure dedicated funding for safe school implementation is captured in the national budget. Policies without budgetary backing become paperwork while children remain vulnerable.

Bauchi State has already shown what political will can achieve. Following our engagement on the policy, the Bauchi State House of Assembly passed the Schools’ Safety, Security and Violence-Free Bill into law, creating a legally binding framework to protect students, teachers, and school infrastructure from violence, kidnappings, and attacks.

The law established a dedicated Schools Safety Commission aligned with the UN Safe Schools Declaration, while the state also implemented practical measures including School Protection Squads, CCTV surveillance, perimeter fencing, emergency safety protocols, and community-based security structures for vulnerable schools.

The policy already exists. The framework already exists. What Nigeria now needs is legislation, implementation, and sustained budgetary commitment.

Nigeria’s children deserve schools that nurture learning, not survival instincts

@BigBadReni @NhrcNigeria @faree_for_real @SavvyRinu

[Trending Explained @TrendingEx]

Video: Secondary school kids went to school with cutlass for self-protection incase of another bandit attack in Ogbomoso, Oyo State.

[Faree Ferrari @faree_for_real]

We need more women in political parties!!

[Dr Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi @abiolaak]

I've spent decades advocating for women's political participation. The barriers haven't disappeared, they've evolved.

Our coalition's open letter to political parties outlines concrete steps for gender inclusive primaries in 2027.

In light of this, we respectfully appeal to all political parties to urgently:

. Ensure transparent, inclusive, and violence free party primaries;

. Create deliberate pathways for increased women’s representation on party ballots;

. Introduce and implement gender quotas within party constitutions and leadership structures at ward, local government, state, and national levels;

. Empower National Women Leaders within party structures with meaningful authority and participation in decision-making processes;

. Reduce excessive nomination form fees and other financial barriers that disproportionately disadvantage women aspirants;

. Publicly commit to affirmative measures that support women candidates ahead of the 2027 elections;

. Prevent the use of consensus arrangements and zoning processes as tools for excluding women from contesting;

. Promote equal treatment and fair opportunities for female aspirants during screenings, consultations, and delegate engagements.

We also urge party leaders to rise above narrow political interests and place national development at the center of their decisions.

Increasing women’s participation in governance is not merely a gender issue; it is fundamental to strengthening democracy, improving representation, and advancing national progress.

@BigBadReni @SavvyRinu @kikimordi @faree_for_real @AishaYesufu @obyezeks

[Dr Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi @abiolaak]

In secondary schools across Nigeria, young boys are sharing nude pictures of their female classmates.

"They often do not understand the dangers of their actions."

But the consequences for survivors are devastating:
→ Trauma so severe they refuse to leave hostels
→ Academic performance drops
→ Social withdrawal
→ Shame that lasts years

The youngest women online aged 15-24 are targeted at the very age when they should be experimenting with freedom.

Instead, they learn that being online means being at risk.

This is not "kids being kids." This is violence. And it requires urgent intervention: digital literacy, accountability, and legal reform.

@womenadvocate ‘s Digital Harm Effect documents TFVAWG across generations in Nigeria and Kenya, with actionable recommendations for schools, governments, platforms, and communities.

📥 Download the report: https://t.co/QsptdQVyD3

Supported by UN Trust Fund @UNTrustFundEVAW | Partnership with FIDA Kenya @fidakenya

#YouthViolence #DigitalLiteracy #TFVAWG #SchoolSafety #Nigeria #EndVAWG

@SavvyRinu @BigBadReni @AishaYesufu @kikimordi @faree_for_real

[Folashade Bamigboye @sade3nity]

Dr. @abiolaak Executive Chair @womenadvocate presenting the exploratory research report: "The Digital Harm Effect: Confronting Technology-Facilitated Violence Against Women & Girls in Africa: A Case Study of Nigeria and Kenya"

We need to strive to speak about TFVAW/G!

[Folashade Bamigboye @sade3nity]

Official Launch of the Research Report: The Digital Harm Effect: Confronting Technology-Facilitated Violence Against Women and Girls in Africa: A Case Study of Nigeria and Kenya

Online Violence is Real! Justice is Now!

@womenadvocate @fidakenya @unwomenNG @UNTrustFundEVAW

[Folashade Bamigboye @sade3nity]

Honoured to join @womenadvocate for the launch of this vital research report on Technology-Facilitated Violence. This report gives a voice to those who have been silenced by technology-facilitated violence.
The findings are a wake-up call: online violence is real #EndTFVAW

[Dr Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi @abiolaak]

Technology should empower, not endanger.

At Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre, in partnership with International Federation of Women Lawyers @fidakenya @FIDANigeria and supported by the United Nations Trust Fund @UNTrustFundEVAW , we have unveiled The Digital Harm Effect report.

Our findings reveal the growing misuse of digital platforms to perpetrate abuse against women and girls across Sub-Saharan Africa.

This is a call to strengthen systems, accountability, and protection mechanisms. The digital space must be safe for all.

@SavvyRinu @BigBadReni @faree_for_real @kikimordi

[Dr Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi @abiolaak]

Superintendent Nafisat Balogun is charting a new course for women in Nigeria’s paramilitary and aviation sectors, following her historic achievement of earning a Commercial Multi-Engine Pilot Licence in the United States. Her feat makes her the first female pilot in the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), a milestone that signals progress in a field long dominated by men.

Click here to read more

https://t.co/CG7jkvirXt

@BigBadReni @SavvyRinu @faree_for_real

[Dr Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi @abiolaak]

This is not just a crime, it is a failure of systems.

We must commit to strengthening systemic responses to sexual violence from safe reporting mechanisms to survivor centered justice and institutional accountability.

Protect women. End impunity.

@BigBadReni @SavvyRinu @kikimordi @faree_for_real

[Nigeria Stories @NigeriaStories]

BREAKING: A man Oluwadamilare Ewedemi, has been arrested by officers of the state police command for allegedly s€xually abusing and impregnating his daughter five times and procuring illegal abortions for the 21-year-old.

[Dr Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi @abiolaak]

https://t.co/n33iZxHsEL

Click on the link to read the full details...

Today;s spotlight celebrates Yemi Adamolekun @_yemia , IDEA International @Int_IDEA , and Elsie Kanza @eskanza highlighting civic leadership, democratic advancement, and a new generation shaping inclusive growth and governance across Africa.

@BigBadReni @faree_for_real @SavvyRinu

[Dr Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi @abiolaak]

https://t.co/rGX06UQ1Fj

Click on the link to read the full details...

Today’s spotlight celebrates bold advocacy, evidence-driven action, and emerging leadership honouring Dr. Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, a trailblazing feminist lawyer; Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC) @womenadvocate , a pioneering rights organisation; and Ololade Awaye , a young mental health advocate advancing inclusion and wellbeing.

@BigBadReni @faree_for_real @SavvyRinu @kikimordi

[WARDC @womenadvocate]

Happy Birthday to our leader, @abiolaak 🎉

Your vision, courage, and unwavering commitment to justice continue to guide and inspire us every day. Through your leadership, we are reminded of the power of purpose and the importance of standing for what’s right & women’s rights.

[WARDC @womenadvocate]

Happy Birthday to our leader, @abiolaak 🎉

Your vision, courage, and unwavering commitment to justice continue to guide and inspire us every day. Through your leadership, we are reminded of the power of purpose and the importance of standing for what’s right & women’s rights.

[Oluwaseun Ayodeji Osowobi-Oluwabiyi @AyodejiOsowobi]

Thank you so much for the honor, Dr Abiola. I look up to you in many ways!❤️

[Dr Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi @abiolaak]

https://t.co/eLw0TE79ul

Click on the link to read the full details...

Today’s spotlight celebrates bold leadership and transformative impact, honouring a disability rights advocate, Lois Auta @realloisauta , a global philanthropic institution Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and a rising West African changemaker advancing equity, inclusion, and opportunity Oluwaseun Ayodeji Osowobi @AyodejiOsowobi

@BigBadReni @SavvyRinu @faree_for_real