NFM Weekly Digest: Women, Violence, and the Fight to Take Up Space
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It was another week of stories showing just how differently women are treated in marriage, in society, at public events and even in death. Eight women were killed in Cameroon in one week; a Celestial Church evangelist killed his spouse; Lagos State issued a warning that marital rape can attract life imprisonment. At the same time, women were challenging the rules imposed on them, with Mo Bimpe speaking about the exclusion of childless women, Mary Remmy Njoku confronting gendered expectations around money and marriage, and Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya becoming the first woman to lead the Nigerian Bar Association.
Read highlights below and click on the links below to read the full stories.
- What Mo Bimpe’s Societal Exclusion Tells Us About How Nigerian Punishes Childless Women
On August 31, 2026, Nollywood actress Mo Bimpe, known offscreen as Bimpe Adedimeji, posted on her official Instagram account, crying about all the birthday parties she had never been invited to before she had children. The analysis reveals how society harshly pressures women into childbirth.
- Their Ego No Go Gree”: Mary Remmy Njoku on Why Men Struggle With Successful Wives
Mary Remmy Njoku, a Nollywood producer and entrepreneur, recently took to her Instagram to talk about something many Nigerian women struggle to say out loud–that a lot of men struggle when their wives earn more than they do. Her post highlights that men should not feel threatened by their spouse’s successes.
- Femicide: Eight Women Killed in a Week, Cameroonian footballer Nchout Ajara Cries Out.
At least eight women were killed across Cameroon in a single week in late August, the latest and most visible spike in a crisis that has left at least 50 women dead between January and April 2026 alone compared to 77 for all of 2025, according to official figures. The climbing rate of femicide across countries shows the systemic oppression of women and the necessity of feminism.
- Marital Rape Can Attract Life Imprisonment — Lagos State Warns Husbands
The Lagos State Government has warned husbands that forcing their wives into sexual intercourse without consent can attract life imprisonment under the Lagos State Criminal Law. The warning was issued by the Director of Public Prosecutions, Dr Babajide Martins, at the commencement of the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Awareness Month.
- Alue-Do “Ozoro Rape” Festival: UN Special Rapporteur Demands Answers From Nigerian Government
UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, Reem Alsalem, has demanded answers from the Nigerian government over the sexual violence against women and girls during the Alue-Do festival in Ozoro, Delta State, asking President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s government to provide details of its response to the attacks, the investigations that followed and the support available to survivors.
- Nigerian Olusegun Onidare Charged with Sexual Assault of Woman, Teenage Girl in Canada
On August 31, 2026, Peel Regional Police in Ontario, Canada, arrested and charged Olusegun Onidare, a 33-year-old Nigeria-born man, with two counts of sexual assault and one count of breaching a probation order, after he attacked two ladies in separate incidents in Brampton on the same day. He is currently being held in custody pending a bail hearing.
- Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya Resumes as NBA President
Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, SAN, FCIArb, has officially begun her tenure as the 33rd President of the Nigerian Bar Association, marking her first day in office with a tour of NBA House alongside her predecessor, Afam Osigwe SAN, and an interactive meeting with staff of the National Secretariat. She is the first woman to hold the position in the NBA’s history.
- Femicide: Celestial Church of Christ Evangelist Abidemi Odukoya Murders Wife in Ogun
Celestial Church of Christ evangelist Abidemi Odukoya has murdered his spouse in Ogun State. He murdered her following a domestic argument in the Akinode/Ibogun community. Abidemi was reported dead hours later, after he was hit by a vehicle while attempting to flee the area.
