THE NIGERIAN JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY AND ANTHROPOLOGY
ISSN: 0331-4111 e-ISSN: 2736-075X
Volume 24, No. 2, November 2026
Pages 19-36
DOI: 10.36108/NJSA/6202.42.0220
‘Go and Settle it at Home”: Gender-Based Violence and Criminal Justice System Response in Ibadan Metropolis, Nigeria
Peace Oluwakemi Ogunbiyi and Adeyinka Abideen Aderinto
Department of Sociology, University of Ibadan, Nigeria
Abstract
This study examined the experiences of victims of Gender-based violence within the criminal justice system and the institutional response mechanisms. Exploratory research design was employed and 15 in-depth interviews were conducted with victims of GBV selected through snowball sampling. In addition, 15 key informant interviews were conducted with purposively selected key respondents comprising policemen, lawyers, and NGO/social welfare workers in Ibadan Metropolis. Data collected were content-analysed. Findings indicated that interactions between victims and the criminal justice system had been marked by fear, stigma, mistrust, and bureaucratic red tape, factors that prevented cases from being reported or resulted in the withdrawal of cases. The importance of social and cultural aspects like the presence of patriarchal beliefs, acceptability of domestic violence, and victim blaming was also found to be very significant in terms of reporting the instances of GBV. The presence of institutional mechanisms to respond to gender-based abuse was noted but were hampered by limited resources. The study concludes that the response of the criminal justice system to GBV in Ibadan Metropolis is influenced by the interplay of structural, institutional, and socio-cultural variables. The study suggests improvement in the capacities of law enforcement and judicial institutions, among others.
Keywords: Gender-Based Violence, Criminal Justice System, Victimisation, Institutional Response to GBV, Socio-Cultural Norms