Oluwatobi Adu 
BENUE, Nigeria – The Benue State Ministry of Justice is expanding digital access to legal services and targeted support for vulnerable groups, including survivors of sexual and gender-based violence.
Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice and Public Order, Yangien Ornguga, disclosed this on Saturday during an interaction with journalists in Makurdi.
Ornguga said the ministry had reviewed several state laws to determine whether they remained relevant to current social and legal challenges.
The laws reviewed include the Child Rights Law, Penal Code, Violence Against Persons Prohibition Law, Education Law and Local Government Law. “Your laws must answer to the challenges at the present time,” Ornguga said, explaining that limited funding had restricted the number of laws that could be amended so far.
He said the ministry had also launched a website that allows members of the public to submit complaints and seek legal assistance online.
According to him, the digital platform could be particularly useful to survivors of sexual and gender-based violence who may find it difficult to visit government offices or police stations in person.
The commissioner said the platform had already demonstrated practical value, noting that the Supreme Court recently used it to request electronic submission of legal briefs in a case involving the ministry.
Beyond digital access, the ministry has established a legal desk at an Internally Displaced Persons camp to enable survivors to report abuses and obtain legal advice without leaving the camp.
Ornguga said the ministry was also working with the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons on awareness campaigns in schools to educate students about human trafficking and its dangers.
To improve its operational capacity, the ministry has supplied computers, generators and printers to three area chambers and organised capacity-building workshops for legal personnel.
It has also secured continuous internet connectivity through a partnership with the Women Empowerment Programme. Ornguga said the ministry would continue to work closely with the state judiciary to improve access to justice and strengthen the delivery of legal services across Benue.
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