The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons says it has secured more than 20 convictions for sexual and gender-based violence offences and rescued over 3,000 victims in 2026.

Vincent Adekoye, NAPTIP’s spokesman, disclosed this on Monday in Abuja. Mr Adekoye said three of the convictions resulted in life imprisonment, adding that most of the cases involved rape.

“From January 2026 to now, we have rescued over 3,000 people from critical situations. We have also arrested a whole lot and are prosecuting a whole lot of them,” he said.

He said NAPTIP expanded its response to SGBV by strengthening collaboration with the police, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and relevant ministries, departments and agencies.

Mr Adekoye said the agency was also engaging communities and training frontline responders to strengthen prevention, reporting and response to SGBV.

He urged perpetrators to desist from the crime, saying offenders could be prosecuted under laws including the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act and Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Amendment Act.

He also cited the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the Maputo Protocol as relevant instruments for protecting victims’ rights.

Mr Adekoye said NAPTIP’s recent inauguration of an SGBV media corps aimed at securing stronger media support in the fight against the crime. He urged journalists to go beyond reporting individual cases and investigate the factors driving different forms of SGBV.

Ms Adekoye also urged journalists to adopt victim-centred reporting that protects survivors’ dignity, privacy and safety.

NAPTIP organised the Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Media Corps Workshop. The European Union Support to End Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (ESGBV) Programme is implemented by International IDEA.

(NAN)