By Chinedum Treasure
Stakeholders against Sexual and Gender-Based Violence have renewed calls for stronger collaboration and accountability in the fight against the menace, as fresh figures show a sharp rise in the Anambra State Sexual Offenders Register, from 90 in July to 132 in September 2025.
The call was made during quarterly meeting of the Service Providers Accountability Resource Committee (SPARC), held at the Attorney General’s Conference Hall, Ministry of Justice, Awka.
Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Prof. Sylvia Ifemeje described the register as not just a list of names but a shield for communities.
Ifemeje, represented by Barr Chisom Anyaenem recounted how a town had recently written to verify the record of a contestant for community leadership.
“This is why reporting and record-keeping matter. The register is protection,” she said.
State Coordinator of the Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption (RoLAC) Programme, Dr Josephine Onah, explained that the initiative, funded by the European Union and implemented by International IDEA, focuses on improving access to justice for women and people with disabilities.
She stressed that synergy among government partners, CSOs, service providers, and community actors remained crucial to sustaining the campaign.
SPARC Coordinator and Director of Davina Care Foundation, Mrs Yohanna Rachel, announced the latest figures on the register, crediting improved collaboration with the police and new support from the State CID for the progress.
She, however, warned that some divisions still posed challenges and urged for more access to higher institutions for sensitisation.
One testimony underlined the stakes. A participant, Mrs Uju, narrated how a 20-year-old rape survivor’s case in Onitsha was nearly dropped by a police division under claims of the suspect’s “insanity.” With SPARC’s intervention, the case was transferred to SCID for proper handling.
Civil society organisations and service providers, including Creative Minds Initiative, Intacom, and Davina Care Foundation, shared experiences and called for the establishment of the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Commission to help fund activities.
Hadis Foundation also trained participants on the National Sexual Offenders Database (www.nsod.naptip.gov.ng), urging increased awareness of the platform.
As the meeting drew to a close, participants from government, CSOs, the clergy, student unions, schools, the media and communities pledged to intensify awareness and sustain collaboration.
For them, the rising figures on the offenders register were not just numbers but stories of survivors and proof that silence was steadily giving way to justice in Anambra State.
