SURVIVORS OF RAPE AND INCEST SUE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OVER DENIAL OF MEDICAL CARE
By: Safiya Abdulrahim Dabban
Survivors of rape and incest have taken the Federal Government to court for failing to provide comprehensive medical care and support guaranteed by law.
The survivors, through their lawyers led by Prof. Yemi Oke (SAN), Dr. Olayinka Owoeye, and Dr. Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, filed the case at the Federal High Court in Lagos. They argue that the government’s neglect violates their constitutional and human rights, including the right to life, dignity, and health.
The case, Suit No: FHC/LAG/2025, has been assigned to Justice A. Lewis-Allagoa and will be mentioned on Thursday, November 6, 2025, at the Federal High Court, Ikoyi.
One survivor, abused by her father, suffered an unsafe abortion without medical support. Another, a university student raped while incapacitated, received no government-provided care or counseling. They say they are seeking justice not just for themselves but to protect others from similar neglect.
“I did not choose the trauma that changed my life. But I choose to fight so no other girl or woman is abandoned by the system meant to protect us,” said one survivor.
The suit cites several laws, including the 1999 Constitution, the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the Maputo Protocol, CEDAW, ICESCR, and the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act of 2015, all of which affirm the right of survivors to comprehensive medical and reproductive care.
The survivors want the court to declare that victims of sexual violence have the right to safe termination of pregnancy and that the government has a duty to provide full medical, psychological, and reproductive health support.