The petitioners cited the case of Sheygunmi from Niger State, Tolani in Abuja and others, including gospel singer Osinachi, who was unable to find help even through church and family.
They also called for free psychological assistance to the victims and their children as well as insist on psychological evaluation for the perpetrators of abuse.
In the petition started by Grace Eniola Akhigbe’s petition from change.org, the petitioners related the treatment of women, who are dying in silence because there is no way out or temporary place for them to stay.
Citing the case of Sheygunmi, who was married in 2005, Akhigbe said in 2006, her husband began hitting her, but Sheygunmi was able to get small fund and fled to her family house in Suleja.
After a few weeks, they said her father and two of her uncles returned her to her abusive husband’s house while they apologised to him.
“The abuse went on for 17 years, and Sheygunmi had nowhere to go. Her parents told her to deal with her family issues “as no marriage is perfect. But on December 2, 2022, her husband beat her, until she was unconscious and was rushed to the hospital; she wished to leave but had no where to go,” the petitioners said.
Similarly, they cited the case of Tolani and her husband, who both lived in Dutse Alhaji, FCT Abuja.
Tolani lived with her husband in a family house because her husband lost his job during the Coronavirus pandemic. Her husband started abusing her physically in 2020, during the lockdown. Though he had been verbally abusive, immediately he lost his job he would beat her every evening and forcefully collect whatever she earned at the shop every. Tolani who is an orphan, reported to the police on several occasions, but has nowhere to live.
She would gladly leave the marriage, but she cannot afford to leave her four children behind.
“She requires a place to live to grow her business and raise her house rent and cater for her kids.
“These stories are among the many that exist in the country. Some of these women have died, including gospel singer Osinachi, who was unable to find help. The pandemic has revealed that more women are being abused on a daily basis, and they are dying in silence because there is no temporary place for them to stay.
“There are no government-owned shelter or facilities, particularly in the Federal Capital Territory, where women who have been abused can stay. The Ministry of Women Affairs should be able to provide shelter homes for victims who have nowhere else to go.
“We cannot let these stories continue; we must protect the women and their children. We must compel the Ministry of Women Affairs and other well-meaning corporate bodies to establish safe havens for women who are victims of abusive relationships; women are economic pillars of this country, and we must support them,” the petitioners added.
