Peter Siemens lay on the grimy floor of a Russian prison after being unconscious for three days. He had been arrested for sharing the gospel with children. His fellow prisoners had horribly beaten him in return for being promised parole by the guards. As they attacked him, Peter remained silent.

Seeing that he was conscious, one of the prisoners asked, “Why didn’t you scream as we beat you?”

“I wondered if you were beating me just for your own sport, without the approval of the guards,” Peter answered through bleeding lips. “If so, and I had yelled, you would have been punished for prison misconduct. I did not want you to suffer, because Jesus loves you, and I do, too.”

Peter’s elegant declaration won the hearts of the hardened criminals in his cell. They sent word through the prison grapevine that no one should touch him, regardless of where he was transferred or what incentives the guards offered.

Prisoners waiting to be executed at the prison heard Peter’s story and sent word asking for his help. Peter responded, and through sympathetic guards, he shared with them the story of Jesus’ love. Some of them may have accepted Christ before their execution because of Peter’s ministry. His living example of Christ’s love brought a significant opportunity to others. Those who would have never heard otherwise received the gospel message.

The spoken word can be powerful. A well-timed word of counsel, love, or encouragement can go miles when someone is in need. But what about when someone is spiritually needy? Peter Siemens’ words were motivated by his love for Christ. That love enabled him to courageously speak of Christ’s love to his enemies at a time when they needed to hear it most. Peter was obedient to God’s leading, and God used Peter’s words to change many of his fellow prisoners’ eternal destinies. Did God use someone’s words to lead you to Jesus? When God calls you to tell someone else about Jesus, will you obey him at that time? Consider the eternal difference your example and words can make.

A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver. Proverbs 25:11

You can read more through The Voice of the Martyrs’ app available on iTunes (https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/prayer-calendar/id432550884?mt=8) or Google Play (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.persecution.prayercalendarhd)

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A video of presidential hopeful, former Vice President Joe Biden, on Friday sparked a hot debate on social media between two Nigerians on who Nigerians in the United States should support in the forthcoming presidential election featuring President Donald Trump and Biden. A third Nigerian-American chips in a comment towards the end.

Nigeria Everyday (www.everyday.ng) feeds you the debate unedited, as it is a reflection of the thoughts of our own abroad:Video Player00:0007:37

Peace: This video shouldn’t deceive any eligible African voter. Most people spreading the video won’t vote. The first question we should be asking “Had South Africa benefited indigenous South Africans? “We all know that America doesn’t defend where/what she has no interests!”

Joe Biden has very impressive/forceful political rhetorics. The passionate energy he exerted in this video was exactly how he defended the Crime Bill of 1994 (watch both videos)

When Biden finally became the Vice President to Barack Obama, WHAT DID HE DO?

What did he do with the powers of US Presidency to help the African Americans and the endangered Christians in Nigeria that are facing existential threat and begged Obama for help? Why didn’t Biden revise/reform the 1994 Crime Bill that he wrote to empower law enforcement in targeting Black people? Instead Biden and Obama looked the other way from the plight of Black people.

Ade: Did you know that Republicans controlled the legislature for 6 of Obama’s 8 yrs. And they made sure he couldn’t do anything. How could he then change the crime bill? All he could do was through the AG’s office which he did and Trump reversed.

Are you condemning Biden for what he did as a legislator and giving us the moron in the White House as alternative? This election is no longer about personality but about record. Trump is th xe incumbent so please put his record on the table for scrutiny. I dont care what Biden did as a legislator, he did well as a VP. Let us examine Trump’s record in office.

Peace: Did you forget that Obama had both Congress, Senate and the DNC in his complete first two years as US President?

How many days did it take Trump to act on what he ran for?

Prison reform, immigration reform, restructuring criminal justice systems should never had been an issue. His DOJ was black, his DHS was black and more. Blacks wasn’t his priorities. But LGBT.

Ade: True. Obama had two years. But he used it to pass Affordable health care. Something that no one before him was able to do. That singular act woke up the worst of the Republicans with unlimited resources put up against him.

What has trump achieved after he lost the house?

Obama by executive order reversed the injustice of the federal sentencing guidelines. He created DACA which today has saved 800k young pple from deportation. I wonder what Obama would have done if he retained both house for another 2yrs.

Peace: Even those who live outside the United States can answer this question. So I won’t go there.

The important question should be. How did Obama’s administration benefit Nigeria or Africans? Name one tangible thing he did for blacks. Even the killings in Nigeria what efforts?

All politics is local we should fight for our own community.

Ade: So supporting Trump helps our community?

Peace: Getting involved in politics is to be able to transform our respective community not going by the flow or popular opinion.

Ade: I guess to you, Trump represents Transformation of the black community in the US.

Peace: What has Trump done wrong to our community?

Trump fights for religious freedom/ tolerance over Nigeria which is the mother of all problems in Nigeria.

Trump returned Abacha’s loots

Trump spent more $38 molillion on Nigeria in this COVID-19

Constantly working to ensure that Christians are protected and Muslims too. Unity not division like Obama constantly focused on 19 northern governors. We need togetherness/unity of Nigeria.

Ade: Is our Nigerian interest more important than black American interest in this country?

Peace: No one carries a casket on his head and be picking ants with one leg.

Only a lost Nigerian will look to the otherside when we have worse killing our siblings and community while we make noise from our little cocoons.

Did you come to America to inherit quarrels?

Ade: While I am a Nigerian, I am also an American who takes the course of the black American very serious. They paid the price for my ability to live well in this country. I live in the neighborhood I desire, have my own biz, my children attended very good schools and now chatting their own course. All is possible because American blacks paid with their blood. So I can’t give Trump a pass for giving Nigeria its money back with one hand but call them shit holes, and ban immigration from Nigeria without any real justification inspite of our documented contribution to American society.

Peace: Its your right. Choose your battles wisely

I choose to be a reconciler. I dont engage in race or tribal fights.

“Its all of us or none of us.”

Ade: Hmmmm. I dont know how often you go to Nigeria and how invested you are over there. But I can tell you that I am not one of those who stay away and complain about Nigeria. I am also here in the US so I have a right to comment about here just like I do about Nigeria. I can assure you that I am not a lost Nigerian

Peace: I’m proud of you. Our goal should be about advancing Nigeria. Charity begins at home. We are hypocrites if we can’t solve the tribalism in Nigeria but we are murmuring against race.

Enjoy your weekend. But lets pray about these conversations. Shalom!

Ade: Enjoy your weekend too and stay blessed.

Akin: Gents, we should be as wise as a serpent and not fall prey to this politicking. If we want to be relevant as a formidable political force in this country, let us combine our coalition and become big time donor to both parties. That is what gets attention and access to influencing policies that can favor Nigeria and Africa as a whole.

Peace: Brother that is an important aspect too. Regardless, we can donate money and build friendship but what’s vital is ” Which/whose policies represents our VALUES and who we are?”

▪︎ Editor’s Note: We have blurred the full names and telephone numbers of the contributors for confidentiality reasons.

Credit: https://everyday.ng

By IKENNA EMEWU

Dr. Ihechukwu Madubuike, former education minister told me the story of how the government of Shehu Shagari he served enacted law to birth private universities in about 1980.

This was later abrogated by the military junta of Gen. Muhammadu Buhari after it got power by robbery in December 1983.

However, after the return of the law to create private higher institutions, the Igbinedion University in 1999 came to the scene as the first this time. So we have been at home with private universities, polytechnic and colleges of education in the past 21 years.

These institutions, some 78 private universities, over 40 polytechnics and about 26 colleges of education owned by private Nigerians have not received very welcome treatment by the regulators and other agencies that supervise the smooth operation of Nigerian higher institutions. Beyond the issuance of operation licence and supervision of standards, the government of Nigeria looks away from the welfare of these institutions.

I am of the strong opinion that that is not friendly and to a large extent counterproductive. The private institutions are part of the society and our body of education sector just as all private banks, factories, healthcare facilities etc.

Whereas they are there for business, I think the government is not fair to deny them of every incentive it accords the public counterparts even when they also render services to the country.

The Tertiary Education Fund (TETFund) of the federal government has since inception closed a huge gap in funding and equipping public tertiary institutions – federal and state. This is a federal agency that has done well for the system and future of the country and doesn’t create divisions between the state owned and federal owned institutions even when the states are autonomous tier of government that runs its budgets and education policies, pays workers, places their fees etc. That is commendable as TETFund provides them amenities, research grants and other supports including teachers training and courses equally.

But why is the private school treated like an orphan? It is just bad that even private primary and secondary schools go through the same rejection at the state levels as if they are of no consequence to the society.

Truly, these private schools also play a great role in easing the burden of pressure of admission into the public institutions. Let’s leave aside the profits they make, but we can’t rule out some element of public benefit they also offer. No matter what parents pay to have their children pass through them, the human resource they provide for the country is for common good.

When a factory or manufacturing outfit comes on board, on paper at least, most of them depending on the sector they belong to, enjoy some government incentives, tax grace and other little encouragements. Let’s leave out the operability of these incentives, but they exist.

In the financial sector, the central bank provides support to commercial banks that make most profit among all private sector establishments. Many of them have been pulled back from the brink by the intervention of the central bank and the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) The insurance commission does the same for insurance companies as the Securities and Exchange Commission provides support to stock brokerage firms etc.

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) provides support to the companies under its regulation for better operation and results. Even the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) is not left out in this.

So, why is the education sector totally different, or is this still our old tradition of making light of the importance of education in Nigeria?

It would not be a bad idea or any loss if the TETFund devotes even 5 percent of its budget to support the private universities, polytechnics and colleges of education and find a way of scheduling it to go round.

However, even if provision of infrastructure is out of reach, why would the lecturers in these private universities be excluded from research grants and other supports for trainings and capacity improvement when the same government and society require them to have quality manpower?

These institutions can only produce quality graduates with quality manpower to groom them. Regarding physical infrastructure, since they are also part of the requirements for accreditation and sustenance of their programmes, why deny them of any semblance of support?

I was moved to look closely at these issues after TETFund on about June 20 published the availability of its 2020 national research grants and specified it is for public institutions or universities. Why the exclusion?

In the global crises of the coronavirus pandemic, a lot of rules by the government are relaxed to give support to organs, agencies, sectors and organisations that form part of the larger society to assist them survive.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has been announcing a lot of interest-free loans and other facilities to the SMEs and even individuals as palliatives this precarious time.

Few days ago, 17 commercial banks wrote the CBN to apply for the rescheduling of 32,000 loans to companies and individuals as palliatives.

I am yet to hear of any palliative the TETFund and Federal Ministry of Education have for any institutions, especially and including the private ones? How then would they cope with the existing vagaries without such institutional support?

At last, TETFund mandated public institutions to go ahead and acquire healthcare facilities in their domains as one of the conditions for reopening in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic. The mandate directs that if any of the institutions makes arrangements to provide such as soon as possible, TETFund would refund the cost later. And no mention of the private schools again. That is not fair. We need to rethink this approach and be kinder in the way we view these issues. We can’t reasonably say the private schools won’t be possible avenue for the spread of the pandemic or that the private schools owners have the capacity to handle all these alone. If we succeed in safeguarding the public schools and students of private schools are exposed to danger, we wouldn’t have made positive impact in solving the challenge. Therefore, we should also provide them assistance in this situation.

Now the world and Nigeria are still at sea over how to conquer this pandemic, if for instance a private university or research body comes up with an answer, Nigeria would take the glory and also the benefits.

A young engineering student of a private university, the Gregory University announced producing power generator that runs without fuel. If that comes into use, the entire country would benefit and in our quest for advancement in all fields of knowledge, the private institutions are not ruled out.

The reason the government even created them is because they are sure they have some value to add. Since they are beneficial to us, we should also ensure they exist to assist provide valuable service to the system.

It is possible the private institutions produce about 10% of the graduates we turn out every year. These products of theirs are not rejected for national service, not rejected in the job market – public and private. We should therefore show better responsibility to ensure that such products are properly nurtured for valuable use to the society. They won’t get that top class quality until the institutions that produce them are encouraged by the government, not only in inspections to ensure standards but further in training their manpower especially the teachers to be of improved quality. We are also aware that one of the disincentives about quality lecturers taking up employment with private universities includes this denial of assistance for research and courses which the government provides the public institutions counterparts through the TETFund.

In this period every aspect of the society would be struggling or are already struggling for breathe of air to remain alive, the federal government should start rethinking its behavior towards these private institutions.

Credit: https://africachinapresscentre.org

By Muyiwa Adetiba “They came in numbers, wielding dangerous weapons. I heard my late husband reciting prayers from the Qur’an. They shot and killed him….in our presence. Oh Allah!!! Where is the government? Who will take care of our numerous children? Is this how the government will allow these bandits to be killing us? Oh Allah, where is government? Where….’ This was the anguished submission of a wailing woman whose husband, a local monarch, was  killed by bandits in the ‘Yantumaki Community’ of Kaduna State recently according to a Sunday Vanguard report which took the story from VOA Hausa service.

I can just picture the scene. You are surrounded by ferocious bandits whose sole mission is to loot, rape and kill. You are begging with everything you have but they are acting deaf and contemptuously because they know you have nothing to bargain with. Everything you have – including your body and those of your young daughters – is already theirs to take if they so desire. An hour stretches into eternity as you hope for a miracle, any miracle. The waiting is in itself torture. The bandits take their time, prolonging your humiliation, your torture. You both know help is not going to come until it is all over when their thirst for blood and hunger for flesh would have been satiated. They leave after stripping you of everything; property, dignity and faith – if you are lucky to be spared. Even then you know it is not all over. They can come at will; in the brightness of day, or in the darkness of night. And who is to say if you will survive the next time. So the vigil starts. You see them in the shadows of night; you hear them in the faintest of noises. They dominate your thoughts. They dominate your dreams. They become your nightmare. Oh Allah, where is government? This is the story of many villagers in certain areas of the north as we speak. They sleep with the proverbial one eye. They have become rootless and are completely at the mercy of bandits. Some of the bandits are from outside the country. Some from within. Like a Northern Governor said in the Vanguard report ‘it is becoming harder and harder to distinguish us from our enemies’. This is because the jobless, roaming youths have teamed up with outside marauders to terrorise the land. It is a classic situation of a failing State where law and order has collapsed and crime pays. The cause of the present situation in the north is complex and multifaceted. I don’t pretend to have all the answers but if I may summarise, I will opine that it has to do with religion and the manipulation of it. It has to do with population and the manipulation of it. With ethnic divisions and the manipulation of them. It has to do with education and the neglect of it. With grinding poverty and the denial of it. It has to do with governance and the abuse of it.It all boils down to the leadership style which the north has chosen. This same governor put it succinctly when he said ‘there was no shortage of early warning signs but we ignored them all. We are paying for our collective negligence.

As it is, we are trapped in a prison of mirrors where lies are answered with new lies. Violence is taking root because our leadership model has been exposed as a lie, an empty ideology used to satiate greed instead of addressing social inequality and injustice’. Even when some bandits were infiltrating some parts of the north like Benue and Taraba and could have been dealt with swiftly and decisively, leadership was still using other considerations. The time so called Fulani herdsmen started using AK47 to kill and destroy farmlands would have been the time to be decisive with crime and criminals. But government stayed its hand until other groups joined to enjoy the spoils of crime and the situation became hydraheaded. Oh Allah, where is government? Unfortunately, indecisive or outright dearth of governance is everywhere you turn. It starts from Aso Rock itself where there was reportedly an incident involving gun shots between First Lady’s security details and a President’s aide. It goes on to the President’s party where the Chairman played jury and judge in a case that also had him as a litigant. It is compounded by the resultant undisciplined scramble for the chairmanship position. One gets the impression in the three scenarios, of people grabbing power because there is no control, no line in the sand and the more brazen you are, the more you can get away with. Another area of our lives is COVID 19 which is threatening to get out of control; where all the guidelines that should lead to a better containment are observed more in the breach. You find people travelling from the farthest part of the north to the deepest part of the south in spite of inter-state travel restriction. Yet the roads are littered with law enforcement officers. A governor from the north recently gave up and opened his borders because he said he was merely making money for the border patrol officers. The officers are not punished for gross dereliction of duty. You find people congregating in large numbers without respect for face masks or social distancing. There are no sanctions or even the will to sanction. Even the rank and file senses the absence of authority in the country. This also reflects in the way we are treated by foreign countries. I can’t imagine what happened in South Africa and Ghana recently happening under Murtala Mohammed and Joe Garba, his Foreign Minister. Oh Allah, where is government? I don’t know whether it is apt or not, but my mind keeps going to Genesis 1 vs 2 in the bible where the account of creation was mentioned. This portion claimed the earth had no form and was void until God put it in order. Nigeria seems to be in that state of void andcrying for a leadership that will put it in order; that will care for her. She needs men and women on a salvage mission. Then the bereaved lady’s plaintive cry of ‘Oh Allah, where is government?’ can be answered in a more positive way.

Credit: https://www.vanguardngr.com

A spokesperson for the Coalition of United Political Parties, Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere, has said that he stands by his words that Nigeria’s House of Representatives through Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, collected the sum of $10m to work on the Control of Infectious Diseases Bill.

He disclosed this while addressing journalists on Tuesday in Abuja after his release by the police

He said he was stronger and determined to fight and would not abandon the struggle to wake up incapacitated leaders even with a gun to his head.

He said, “I seize this opportunity to restate my commitment to the struggle for the liberation of Nigeria. This illegal detention is one of the numerous benefits of being a soldier of truth and apostle of the rule of law.

“We were not cowed, neither did we negotiate nor trade-off our right to free speech as our oppressors desired. We have come out stronger and more determined.

“I was shown a petition authored and engineered by the lawless Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, and the Clerk of the House of Representatives forwarding a resolution of the House where the police was directed to arrest me following the comments I made about the shady attempt to pass the Control of Infectious Diseases Bill.!

The CUPP spokesperson said he would commence public action to ensure accountability and uphold good leadership both in the executive and legislature.

He added, “We are coming out hotter and harder and iron bars and chains of the oppressors cannot stop us.”

Practical Considerations to Negotiate an Enforceable Joint Operating Agreement in Civil Law Jurisdictions (Netherlands: Kluwer Law International, 2020) By Professor Damilola S. Olawuyi, LL. B (1^st Class), BL (1^st Class), LL.M (Calgary), LL.M (Harvard), DPhil (Oxford), Professor of Law and Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti, Nigeria, www.damilolaolawuyi.com. & Professor Eduardo G. Pereira, LL. B (Brazil), LL.M (Aberdeen), PhD (Aberdeen),www.eduardogpereira.com   

Book information For more information or to order your copies, please contact Mr. Keji Kolawole: [email protected] , Tel: +234 81 40000 988

Send your press release/articles to [email protected], [email protected], Follow us on Twitter at @Nigerialawyers and Facebook @ facebook.com/thenigerialawyer

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soldier of the Nigerian Army, Lance Corporal Martins, has been arrested after making a video blasting the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, and other security chiefs in the country.

The soldier was arrested on the orders of Buratai, sources revealed to SaharaReporters.

According to the source, the soldier was picked by senior military officers, who said they were acting based on an “order from above”. 

In the 12-minute video, the soldier expressed his anger at the security chiefs especially Buratai, and Chief of Defence Staff, General Abayomi Gabriel Olonisakin, for not being committed to end the incessant killings of Nigerians by terrorists and armed bandits. 

He revealed how the military ordered the illegal detention of some soldiers, who demanded better weapons and ammunition to combat Boko Haram and other terrorist groups in the country.

He stated that though he might be arrested and probably killed for the video, he is ready to sacrifice himself for the country.

Credit: http://saharareporters.com

By Oyinlola Awonuga (The New Diplomat’s Entertainment, Fashion and Sports Desk)

Steve Bing, an American producer, philanthropist, and writer has died by suicide at the age of 55.

According to reports, he died on Monday June 22nd after jumping from the 27th floor of a luxury apartment building in L.A.’s Century City neighborhood.

He was reported to have been suffering from depression due to lack of human contact during quarantine.

Bing, who founded Shangri-La Entertainment inherited a fortune of some $600 million from his grandfather, L.A. real estate developer Leo S. Bing.

After dropping out of University, Bing pursued a career in Hollywood and became the executive producer of the Sylvester Stallone film, “Get Carter,” in 2000

In 2003, he co-wrote the action-comedy “Kangaroo Jack,” and he also contributed to “Missing in Action” and wrote an episode of “Married With Children.”

The philanthropist later invested some $80 million in “The Polar Express,” the Tom Hanks-voiced 2004 film directed by Robert Zemeckis. Bing had producing credits on films including “CSNY/Deja Vu,” “Rock the Kasbah,” “Get Carter,” “Girl Walks Into a Bar” and a Jerry Lee Lewis documentary in the works.

Bing is survived by his two children, Damian Hurley from his relationship with Elizabeth Hurley and daughter Kira Bonder, who he had with former pro tennis player Lisa Bonder.

Credit: https://newdiplomatng.com

Editors Note: CNN is committed to covering gender inequality wherever it occurs in the world. This story is part of As Equals, an ongoing series.

Lagos, Nigeria — At the start of each day, Dr. Anita Kemi DaSilva-Ibru and her team put on gloves, facemasks and other personal protective equipment to see their patients.They’re not treating people for Covid-19, but they are on the frontline of the pandemic, working at the Women at Risk International Foundation (WARIF), a rape crisis center in Lagos, Nigeria.Wearing protective gear is the new reality for crisis center workers, like DaSilva-Ibru.”We change these kits each time we see a survivor as we are mindful of the risk of transmission of the virus between the survivor and us and the cross-contamination between a survivor and the next,” she told CNN.US-trained gynecologist DaSilva-Ibru has spent most of her career treating hundreds of sexual violence victims but it was the growing scale of the crisis in Nigeria that prompted her to set up WARIF in 2016.The clinic in Yaba, a suburb of Lagos, provides medical treatment, legal assistance therapy and space for rape victims and survivors of sexual abuse to get back on their feet.One in four Nigerian girls has been the victim of sexual violence, according to UN estimates but DaSilva-Ibru says the numbers are higher as many cases go unreported due to the stigma attached.In recent weeks, two high profile cases of gender-based violence have brought Nigerian women out onto the streets demanding change.Uwaila Vera Omozuwa, a 22-year-old microbiology student, was found half-naked in a pool of blood in a local church where she had gone to study after the Covid-19 lockdown left universities across the country shut.

“Rape is an epidemic in this country.”Dr. Anita Kemi DaSilva-Ibru, Women at Risk International Foundation

Her family said her attackers raped her and the student died while being treated at the hospital. A few days later, another student, Barakat Bello, was allegedly raped and killed during a robbery at her home, according to human rights group Amnesty International.“Rape is an epidemic in this country,” DaSilva-Ibru told CNN.She says her work with survivors of sexual violence has become more critical during the outbreak, with restrictions to curb the virus from spreading fueling a surge in calls.It’s a story echoed in other parts of the region, as authorities grapple with a growing number of Covid-19 cases and the impact restrictions are having on women.Related: A transport ban in Uganda means women are trapped at home with their abusersDaSilva-Ibru said she initially closed the center after authorities locked down the city in March, she had to reconsider the decision as the organization became inundated with SOS messages from sexual violence victims and their guardians.Staff operating the 24-hour helpline at the center also reported a 64% increase in calls during this period, according to DaSilva-Ibru.”Our phones were ringing. Women were calling and desperately asking how we can help them, these were women in fear of their lives, as many have now been forced into quarantine with their abusers, in an already volatile environment,” DaSilva-Ibru told CNN.For the center to re-open, DaSilva-Ibru said she had to source PPE, face masks and other protective gear personally and when that was not enough, the center launched an online appeal for funds from donors to buy the equipment at no cost to survivors, she said.”We carry out forensic examinations on survivors and our frontline health workers who triage and examine patients are in close proximity to the survivors. As much as we need to carry out our duties, we also need to ensure our workers are adequately protected,” DaSilva-Ibru told CNN.The challenges Ibru faces to keep the center open, doesn’t compare to what sexual violence victims have experienced as a result of this pandemic, she said.DaSilva-Ibru recalls a woman who told staff at the center that her male friend had raped her in her home during the lockdown.Dr. Anita Kemi DaSilva-Ibru.”The first day we re-opened, we attended to women who had walked many miles in spite of the mandatory lockdown to get to the center. These are women who had been terrorized in their homes,” she added.”She (a survivor) had repeatedly been calling (the center) to find out how she could get help. She feared she might have contracted HIV and wanted to be tested,” Ibru said.Speaking to CNN, the woman, who didn’t want to use her name to protect her identity, said a co-worker raped her after he came to her apartment unannounced in April.The young banker said she had previously rebuffed his attempts to visit, but on that Sunday afternoon in April, he showed up at her doorstep.”He’s a friend, not a stranger, so I opened the door for him. I was still asking him what was so urgent that made him leave his home. He said he wanted to check up on me and I told him he could have done that over the phone,” she told CNN.But a few minutes into his visit, the conversation became uncomfortable between them.”He kept coming towards me, and when I told him to stop, he put his hand over my mouth and pinned me on the floor,” she said.She says he apologized after raping her and hurriedly left her house.The survivor told CNN she did not make a police complaint because she was worried about the stigma and strain that the rape might have on her parents.A friend she confided in told her to reach out to the Lagos Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team who put survivors in touch with treatment centers for help.After several calls to the centers on their website, she was referred to WARIF.When she went to the clinic, she says staff ran some tests and placed her on Post Exposure Prophylaxis, a HIV prevention treatment for possible exposure.”Sometimes I get really angry, and sometimes I feel numb,” she said, reflecting on the assault.She says she was sick every night for 28 days because of the drugs.”…even though the doctor prepared me for the side effect, it has not been easy,” she told CNN.Gender-based violence is a problem in many countries, but the coronavirus pandemic has worsened the situation.The UN says the raft of measures deployed by governments to fight the pandemic have led to economic hardship, stress, and fear — conditions that lead to violence against women and girls.Equality Now Regional Coordinator in Africa Judy Gitau told CNN that the wave of unemployment and school closures has put victims in a precarious situation.She recalls a similar situation in Sierra Leone during the 2014 Ebola outbreak when teenage pregnancies spiked in the countryThe government enforced strict stay-at-home orders that closed businesses and schools across the West African nation to curb the spread of the virus, she said.The restrictions made schoolgirls vulnerable to abuse as some were assaulted in their homes by relatives, and at the same time, a majority of girls from low-income families were coerced to exchange sex for money for food, Gitau said.”Many of them wound up pregnant but the evidence became available when people were plugging back to life as they knew it as a normal society,” she said.Gitau says authorities must know that perpetrators often take advantage of the strict measures to abuse victims without arousing much suspicion.As state resources are being re-focused to tackle the spread of coronavirus, law enforcement agencies should also respond quickly to reports of abuse and create shelters for victims in need of immediate rescue, she said.But placing women in shelters, especially in countries battling an outbreak, comes with the additional burden of proof, according to DaSilva-Ibru who said shelters in Lagos city are asking survivors to take coronavirus tests before they can be admitted to prevent infection in their facilities.

“Violence against women and girls is one of the most pervasive forms of a human rights violation and should be recognized by all countries.”Dr. Anita Kemi DaSilva-Ibru, Women at Risk International Foundation

Authorities in Lagos designated gender-based violence services essential in May as it eased lockdown into curfews to allow service providers to get to work more smoothly, DaSilva-Ibru said.The police force says it has now deployed more officers to its stations across the country to respond to the “increasing challenges of sexual assaults and domestic/gender-based violence linked with the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.” And last week, governors across the country resolved to declare a state of emergency on rape, according to the Nigerian Governor’s Forum (NGF).Related: Nigerian women are taking to the streets in protests against rape and sexual violenceIt’s the first time federal and state authorities are coming out with a united voice to condemn gender violence, DaSilva-Ibru said and it validates the outcry of women in the country and the scale of the problem in Nigeria, she added.”Violence against women and girls is one of the most pervasive forms of a human rights violation and should be recognized by all countries,” DaSilva-Ibru said.”In Nigeria, it has become a national crisis that needs urgent attention. I am pleased that this has been recognized.”

Click here for more stories from the As Equals series.