THE Lagos State Government has released the details of three adult males who were recently convicted for sexual offences in the state.
The State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (DSVA) made this known through its official Twitter handle on Tuesday, May 2.
The details of the publication include the offenders’ names and pictures, the nature of their offences, and the duration of their sentence.
The offenders were identified as Idowu Daniel, Moses Olawale, and Akin Isaac.
According to the agency, Daniel was sentenced to seven years imprisonment after being convicted of sexual assault, while Olawale was convicted of sexual assault by penetration and received a sentence of 37 years imprisonment.
Isaac was sentenced to 21 years imprisonment after being convicted of defilement.
Lagos had previously published the details of two sex offenders, Gbenga Olasunkanmi and Bashiru Obasekere, who were both sentenced to life imprisonment for defilement.
The agency said that the publication of these details is in line with Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s zero tolerance for all forms of domestic and sexual violence in the state.
The agency had announced in May 2022 that it would begin to publish the details of sexual offenders in the state.
DSVA Executive Secretary, Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi, said the decision was in line with Section 42 of the DSVA Act.
Lagos is among the 10 states out of the 36 states in Nigeria that keeps databases of those convicted of sexual offences in the country.
Others are Ogun, Ekiti, Bayelsa, Edo, Akwa Ibom, Bauchi, Adamawa; Abia and Kaduna.
However, only Lagos, Ekiti, Edo, and Akwa Ibom states publish the full details of the offenders to ‘name and shame’.
The Lagos State Ministry of Justice added the details of 206 persons convicted of sexual offences between April 2020 and April 2021 to the Lagos State Sexual Offenders Register.
The sex offenders register in Lagos was opened in 2014.
In 2019, the Nigerian Government launched its first National Sex Offenders Register to name and shame rapists and offenders of other forms of violence against persons across the country.
The National Sexual Offenders Register is managed by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking Persons (NAPTIP) and is funded mainly by the European Union (EU).
A sex offenders register is a list of all persons convicted for sex offences in a state. Sex offenders register generally includes the offender’s address, physical appearance, and criminal history.
As part of efforts to provide a one-stop solution to reporting, curbing sexual offences, end the high rate of violence against women and children in Nigeria, the Sex Offenders Registry was introduced to deter people from committing such acts.
It is also aimed at ensuring that most companies check the records of a would-be employee if his name is on the register.
In Nigeria, the Sex Offenders Registry was established to combat sexual offenses, reduce the prevalence of violence against women and children, and provide a comprehensive reporting system.
Its implementation aims to dissuade individuals from engaging in such acts and also requires most employers to verify potential employees’ names against the register.
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