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Sexual and gender violence (SGBV) in police custody is one of the less discussed but pervasive forms of abuse in the Nigerian criminal justice system.
Hidden behind the walls of the police stations, countless women and girls face sexual harassment, exploitation and rape at the hands of those who have sworn to protect them. Unlike other forms of brutality of the police who arouse public indignation, these violations are wrapped in silence. The victims rarely report for fear of stigmatization, disbelief or retaliation. When they do it, their complaints are often trivialized, severely managed or buried to protect the police image. The result is a vicious circle of abuse, silence and impunity.
I have witnessed this cycle too many times in my years as a supporter of human rights. In my first days to the Civil Liberties organization, one of the cases that I documented was of a male officer who strokes the breast of a female prisoner. He was shocking, not only for his cruelty, but for the ease with which he was fired by his colleagues.
Later, to the network on police reforms in Nigeria (Noprin), I felt testimonies during public hearings – some too painful to tell – of women and girls subjected to sexual violence during custody. They were poor, powerless and without appeal.
In 2014, as Noprin’s National Coordinator, I exhibited one of the most famous cases: the alleged rape of a two -year -old mother from the then divisional police officer (DPO) of the Onikan Police Division in Lagos, then superintendent Adekunle Awe. The victim, arrested and detained to the station, accused the DPO of having raped her in her office at night. His courage to speak should have triggered rapid justice.
The police command in the state of Lagos recognized the complaint, promised a transparent investigation and ensured that the results would be made public. But what followed was the family model of evasion. Instead of being punished, the DPO was quietly transferred and subsequently promoted. The case has disappeared from public discourse. The victim was left to live with his trauma, while the officer walked free, rewarded rather than sanctioned.
This case was not unique. Epitomizes a culture in which sexual abuse by police officers are not treated like a crime but as an embarrassment to be sweeping under the carpet. The shield of institutional impunity encourages the authors, while the victims are silenced by intimidation, shame or abandonment. In fact, police stations – spaces intended to symbolize the law, order and protection – become unsafe for women and girls.
The recent case in Katsina’s state shows how little it has changed. In August 2025, a division police officer in Dutsinma, the CSP Bello Gusau, was accused of having brought a 15 -year -old girl in police custody in her personal residence, where according to what she reported she spent the night.
An NGO, the International Human Rights Today Initiative (Hrti), led by Comrade Maiyasin, conducted an independent investigation, interviewed the girl and her family and presented evidence confirming that she had actually been brought to the officer’s house. His father, understandably infuriated, promised to pursue justice for his daughter.
The police command in the state of Katsina initially replied enthusiastic: the police commissioner suspended the officer and created an investigative panel. The command spokesman promised an in -depth investigation to guarantee justice. But the Nigerians have reason to be skeptical. Too often in the past, the cases that began with strong promises have ended with silence, whitewashing or silent restoration of the accused.
The fate of this case will reveal if the Nigerian police force has really shot a corner or if it remains trapped in the same old model of negation and cover -up.
The systemic failures that allow these abuses to persist are evident. The first is the weakness of the mechanisms of responsibility. The internal investigations are often opaque, manipulated or prolonged until public indignation is lowered. The results, when issued, are rarely made public. The second is the culture of shielding authors.
Instead of dealing with the accusation, the officers accused of sexual abuse are transferred, protected or even promoted – by sending a chilling message to the victims and reassuring to the transgressors. The third is the silent of the victims. The social stigma, the fear of retaliation and the deep distrust in the judicial system discourage the survivors of relationships. For women and girls from poor or marginalized background, the barriers are even higher.
The consequences go far beyond individual damage. When police officers rape, exploit or harass the prisoners, not only violate the bodies: they violate the legitimacy of the police very legitimacy. Nuts of public distrust, the state of law erod and the entrance to the perception of the police not as protections but as predators. Women, in particular the girls, are doubly victims: first for crime or circumstance, and then from the institution that should protect them.
The breakdown of this cycle requires more than token suspension or internal investigations. It requires systemic reforms and cultural changes within the police. Several passages are fundamental:
1 The investigations should be managed by independent bodies, with the results made public. Where guilt is established, officers face criminal actions.
2 The supervision bodies must have the resources, authority and political will to act quickly and definitely.
3 They need legal support, advice, protection from retaliation and roads for compensation. Without these, most will remain in silence.
4 The officers must understand that sexual abuse will not only place careers but land of land in prison.
5. Supervision of civil and media society: without sustenance and supported relationships, many cases will simply vanish. NGOs, journalists and human rights defenders must continue to shed light on abuse, amplify the voices of the victims and make the authorities responsible.
The Katsina case is a litmus test. Will Nigerian police finally show that sexual abuse by officers is unacceptable or will it protect once again at the expense of justice? The result will send a powerful message, either to encourage other authors or to discourage them.
Until the authors are punished and the victims see justice, women and girls in police custody will remain vulnerable and the stain of sexual violence will continue to undermine the police in Nigeria. The silence must be broken, the impunity must end and the police must decide if they will find themselves as guardians of the law or remain accomplices of crimes against those who need more protection.
NWANGUMA is the center of responsibility and defense of the State of law, and, Rulacc.
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