The Violence Against Person’s Prohibition Act (VAPP) of Nigeria was passed in 2015 and has been domesticated in the following states:
S/N | STATE | LEGISLATIVE STATUS (BILL) | EXECUTIVE STATUS (LAW) |
1. | FCT | Passed | Assented to on 23rd May 2015 |
2. | Abia | Passed on 3rd December 2019 | Assented to on 1st October 2020 |
3. | Adamawa | Passed on March 1st 2021 | Assented to on 30th August 2021 |
4. | Akwa-Ibom | Passed on 10th June 2019 | Assented to on 19th June 2020 |
5. | Anambra | Passed in 2017 | Assented in 2017 |
6. | Bauchi | Passed in May 2015 | Assented in 2020 |
7. | Bayelsa | Passed on February 17th, 2021 | Assented in 2020 |
8. | Benue | Passed on May 26th, 2019 | Assented to on May 28th 2019 |
9. | Borno | Passed in 2022 | Assented to on 10th January 2022 |
10. | Cross Rivers | Passed in 2021 | Assented to on 31st December 2021 |
11. | Delta | Passed on July 28th, 2020 | Assented to on October 7th, 2020 |
12. | Ebonyi | Passed on May 1st 2018 | Assented to in May 2018 |
13. | Edo | Passed on June 17th, 2021 | Assented to on August 5th, 2021 |
14. | Ekiti* | Passed the Ekiti state Gender-Based Violence (Prohibition) Amendment Law 2019 | |
15. | Enugu | Passed on April 4th, 2019 | Assented to in April 2019 |
16. | Gombe | Passed on October 18th, 2022 | Assented to on 13th December 2022 |
17. | Imo | Passed on July 27th 2021 | Assented to on 17th December 2021 |
18. | Jigawa | Passed on the 24th of February 2021 | Assented to on 24th February 2021 |
19. | Kaduna | Passed in December 2018 | December 1st, 2018 |
20. | Kano | Yet to be passed | – |
21. | Katsina | Passed | Assented to on 22nd December 2023 |
22. | Kebbi | Passed on 30th September 2021 | Assented to on 27th July 2022 |
23. | Kogi | Passed on March 22nd, 2021 | Assented to on 27th June 2022 |
24. | Kwara | Passed on Sept 24th 2020 | Assented to on 15th October 2020 |
25. | Lagos* | Passed the Protection Against Domestic Violence Law of Lagos state 2007 | |
26. | Nasarawa | Passed on January 6th, 2021 | Assented to on January 21st, 2021 |
27. | Niger | Passed on February 24th, 2021 | Assented to on November 3rd, 2021 |
28. | Ogun | Passed on January 17th, 2018 | Assented to in 2018 |
29. | Ondo | Passed on July 2nd, 2021 | Assented to on July 15th, 2021 |
30. | Osun | Passed on August 12th, 2021 | Assented to on 11th October 2021 |
31. | Oyo | Passed on December 18th, 2020 | Assented to on 26th, February 2021 |
32. | Plateau | Passed on December 24th 2020 | Assented to on 19th May 2022 |
33. | Rivers | Passed on January 2020 | Awaiting to in 2021 |
34. | Sokoto | Passed on January 19th 2021 | Assented to on 22nd November 2021 |
35. | Taraba | Passed on 24th February 2022 | – |
36. | Yobe | Passed in 2021 | Assented to on 16th April 2022 |
37. | Zamfara | Passed in December 2023 | Assented to in 2023 |
* Lagos and the Ekiti States have Protection Against Domestic Violence Law and Gender Based Violence Prohibition Law respectively and they have some of the provisions found in the VAPPBottom of Form
PROTECTION AGAINST DOMESTIC VIOLENCE LAW OF LAGOS STATE, 2007
The Protection Against Domestic Violence Law of Lagos state (2007) is Lagos-specific and was passed to provide protection against domestic violence and for connected purposes. The law offers protection to any person who is or has been subjected or allegedly subjected to an act of domestic violence.
EKITI STATE GENDER BASED VIOLENCE (PROHIBITION) AMENDMENT LAW, 2019
The Ekiti State Government has harmonized existing GBV Laws for clarity and to ensure effective persecution of offenders. Specifically, a key provision in the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Law is included in the Ekiti State Gender Based Violence (Prohibition) Law, 2019.
WHEN DOES A BILL BECOME AN ACT/LAW?
A Bill is said to have been “passed” if at the joint sitting of both Houses (Senate and House of representatives) at the Federal level; or House of assembly at the State level.
The bill is then presented to the President or the Governor as the case may be and once signed “assented to” (signed) it then becomes an Act / Law.