Lagos DSVA Trains 24 Police Officers On Handling Sexual, Gender-Based Violence Cases

The Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (DSVA) has trained 24 police officers on best practices for investigating and prosecuting Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) cases. The officers were drawn from newly upgraded Family Support Units in Isheri, Idimu, Meiran, Ijesha and Iju (Red House), as well as the Gender Desk of the Lagos State Police Command.

The two-day programme held from September 3 to 4, 2026, at the LCCI Conference and Exhibition Centre, Alausa, Ikeja, aimed to equip officers with skills for handling SGBV cases in a survivor-centred, trauma-informed and legally sound manner, the agency said in a statement by its Head of Public Affairs Unit, Onadipe Opebere, on Monday. Training covered evidence gathering, investigation, documentation, reporting, inter-agency collaboration, forensic evidence, child-friendly interviewing and referral pathways.

DSVA Executive Secretary Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi commended the officers for their commitment to protecting survivors, stressing that professional investigation is critical to securing accountability and improving outcomes. Officers were also introduced to the RE-S-PONSE framework — Respect, Empathy, Supportiveness, Positivity, Openness and Non-judgemental conduct — to guide their engagement with survivors, alongside sensitisation on state-supported services such as Sexual Assault Referral Centres, shelters and psychosocial support.

Facilitators included Vivour-Adeniyi, retired DSP Kenneth Emegwamor Okafor, Dr Oluwajimi Sodipo, Babajide Boye and Oluwatumininu Oni, Head of Case Management at the DSVA.