No fewer than 8,692 cases of domestic and sexual violence were reported in Lagos State between August 2024 and July 2025.
The state’s Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Lawal Pedro, SAN, disclosed this on Friday at a media parley to commemorate Domestic and Sexual Violence Awareness Month held every September.
Speaking at the event in Alausa, Ikeja, Pedro said domestic violence accounted for 3,685 cases, making it the most common issue during the period.
Pedro, who was represented by the State Solicitor-General and Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Justice, Hameed Oyenuga, noted that the youngest survivor in the year under review was 18 months old, while the oldest was 79 years. He said this underscored the fact that abuse cuts across age groups.
He, however, maintained the state government’s commitment to a zero-tolerance policy toward sexual and gender-based violence.
According to him, Lagos secured over 140 convictions and issued six restraining orders in the same timeframe.
The attorney general further broke down the figure to include 243 cases of defilement, child abuse and physical assault (244), rape (99), sexual harassment (48), and sexual assault by penetration (25).
In addition, there were 726 family-related disputes, 41 cases of cyber harassment, and 32 cases of threats to life.
Pedro pointed out that 3,090 children exposed to domestic violence received counselling, with ages ranging from 18 months to 79 years, underscoring that SGBV affected individuals of all ages.
He mentioned that 146 survivors received free legal representation, all survivors of sexual assault accessed free medical care, and 30 individuals were accommodated in government shelters.
The attorney general said the state provided rehabilitation services for victims, saying, “1,487 survivors and 249 perpetrators underwent therapy, and 13 persons with disabilities received specialised support.”
In terms of local government reporting, Pedro identified Alimosho, Eti-Osa, Ikorodu, Kosofe, and Oshodi-Isolo as having the highest number of adult-related cases, while the top five councils for child-related cases were Ikorodu, Kosofe, Badagry, Alimosho, and Oshodi-Isolo.
