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Summary
Rising femicide cases in 2024, fueled by cultural factors and societal denial, shows that there is an urgent need for recognition, justice, and legislation to combat male violence against women and girls.
In Bama, Borno State, Nigeria, during the holy months of Ramadan, which ran between March and April 2024, 17-year-old Falmata was murdered by her paternal uncle, Awana, who accused her of disrespecting the family hierarchy. Falmata and her mother shared a compound with her father’s younger brother, Awana.
Falmata’s mother, Yakaya Aisami, who was heavily pregnant, delighted in having local cuisines. After breaking her fast one evening, Aisami took a sip of the pap prepared by Falmata, remarked on how delicious it tasted, and offered a little of the pap to Falmata. Upon tasting it, Falmata commented that it was not as sweet as her mother had expressed. To Awana, this was displeasing, and he accused Falmata of disrespecting her mother, resulting in a heated argument.
Awana, who had a history of abusing Falmata, threatened to kill her, claiming he had dug her grave. Despite attempts from family and community leaders to resolve the issue and force Falmata to apologise, Awana remained obstinate.
During the early hours of one morning, while Aisami and Falmata were deeply asleep, Aisami woke up to the haunting screams of her daughter. She found Awana standing over her daughter, holding a sharpened piece of wood that resembled an axe, dripping with blood. Awana had killed Falmata. After performing his ablution, he prayed and slept as though he had not just taken a life.
Just like Falmata, many women have lost their lives to femicide. In 2024, Nigeria recorded 135 reported femicide cases, according to the DOHS Cares Foundation.
In August 2024, Christiana Idowu, a 21-year-old undergraduate from the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, was killed by her male friend and fellow church member, Ayo Adeleye. Christiana, who was on her way to Unilag from Itaoluwa, Ikorodu, through Yaba, sought shelter with Ayo under the shade of shops in front of his house while it was raining.
As the downpour intensified, Ayo suggested Christiana enter the house for proper shelter. While at his home, Ayo attempted to rape Christiana and subsequently murdered her.
A month later, Habibat Akinsanya suffered a similar fate. 18-year-old Habibat was reportedly murdered by one Onyeka and was found dead on September 2, 2024. Her lifeless body was discovered on her father’s farm around Mile 6 in Abeokuta, Ogun State, on the 4th of September. She had been raped and strangled to death. Before her murder, Onyeka had pleaded for temporary accommodation at her parents’ house on the 31st of August.
Following Habiba’s death, 55-year-old Hauwa Yusai was beaten to death by her neighbours. Brothers Husaini Ali, aged 45, and Yau Ali, aged 20, inflicted fatal injuries on her with sticks over witchcraft allegations. Her death was reported on the 16th of October 2024.
A few days after Habiba’s death was announced, 24-year-old Priscilla Ocheme was found dead on the 21st of October 2024, with blood covering her face. Priscilla had visited her male friend Ekosuehi Iseh Elvis, also known as Richard, and never returned home. Richard claimed she left his house shortly after he went out, but inconsistencies in their chats suggested otherwise. He was released before the police conducted an autopsy.
Femicide Tied To Culture
Falmata was killed because her uncle, Awana, thought his actions upheld family honour. This can be linked to honour killing, a traditional practice in some countries which allows killing a family member who is believed to have disgraced the family.
Kosisochukwu Ani, a gender expert, attributed these femicide cases to cultural factors like Bride Price, Virginity Bidding, Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and Grooming as cultures that encourage femicide and femicide denial.
“Societal or Cultural factors also contribute to femicide denial. All those cultures are saying women are property,” Kosisochukwu says.
Despite Killings, There Are Still Denials
ROUNDCHECK have traced several comments on X (formerly Twitter) depicting Femicide denial. This refusal to acknowledge or recognise the deliberate killings of women based on their gender has resulted in the spread of gender misinformation.
On November 21, 2024, X user Official PMC, while reacting to UN Women’s post on femicide, commented that there was nothing like Femicide and called the organisation lunatics.
Likewise, another X user, Annesj, replied to the same post and said regardless of femicide statistics, females are more protected, and their lives are not worth more than his.
On January 15, 2024, a user with the username Och!eng made a tweet that said it’s not femicide, it’s ‘prostitucide’ because women who live decent lives are alive and making their money.
This tweet is a clear example of victim blaming.
Experts Weigh In
Gender expert Kosisochukwu identified victim blaming, which prompts questions like, “What was she wearing? What was she doing at night?” These questions often act as shields for perpetrators.
She noted that the lack of appropriate legislation to deal with perpetrators and provide justice to victims contributes to femicide denial, as perpetrators often believe they can get away with their actions.
Ololade Ajayi, founder of the DOHS Foundation, noted that femicide denial in Nigeria is rooted in the country’s patriarchal society. This societal structure results in widespread discrimination and bias against women and girls, with male children being valued more than female children in many communities.
Ololade emphasised that victims are often blamed for circulating false rumours to divert attention from the case. “Take the case of Augusta, who Benjamin killed. Posts were made accusing her father of condemning her, while her mother was said to have encouraged the gifts she received from him. Meanwhile, her father had been deceased for a long time.”
“There are also dismissive comments such as, ‘Oh, what about women who kill men?’ or, ‘100 cases is fair since Nigeria is a country of 200 million people,’” Ololade said.
According to Ololade, the DOHS Foundation recognises that the consequence of femicide denial is likely an increase in the number of femicide cases.
“When there is no justice for victims, and the government remains indifferent to these killings, the cycle of violence will continue.”
Ololade, who has consistently called for femicide legislation to tackle the problem, says,
“If we do not recognise femicide as a distinct type of gender-based violence (GBV), we won’t be able to address it. Calling it femicide means acknowledging it as a specific crime that occurs when there is a gender-related motive.”
She argued that the lack of recognition allows perpetrators to escape accountability for their crimes, perpetuating the cycle of violence.
