Recently a trending story claiming that the Akwa-Ibom State Government has passed a law that says any woman who sleeps with a married man will go to prison for 10 years, while the man will only pay a fine of ₦2 million trended for days.
The story also claimed that the bill was sponsored by the Deputy Governor and passed by the State House of Assembly on Tuesday, 13 January 2026.
This caused a lot of reactions and concern, from all and sundry especially from women and women’s rights advocates because not only is it a flawed and partially judgmental law, it also reflects the reality many women already face in Nigeria; where laws and social norms punish them more harshly than men for the same actions or misdemeanor.
It also raised serious questions: if an act involves two adults, why should the woman face jail while the man pays a fine? Stories like this remind us of the wider gender injustice in Nigeria.
The ways inequality, injustice, exclusion and discrimination affects women are numerous.
- Exclusion from leadership spaces
- Violence,
- Lack of access to justice,
- Living under suppression and control of patriarchal systems.
These realities further push Nigeria away from achieving Sustainable Development Goal 5.
It is however important to state that the story has been verified to be false. The Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly officially denied the claim in a statement signed by the Chairman of the House Committee on Information, Hon. Jerry Anson Otu.
The Assembly said the report has no basis and that no such bill was discussed or passed. Despite this clarification calming down public tension and stopped the spread of fear and misinformation; the realities of the lives of Nigerian women are glaring.
While this particular claim is untrue, this incidence shows how easily false stories can spread and how damaging they can be especially to women leaders.
This incident also amplifies on why it is important that we verify information before sharing it and ensure that stories shared online do not demean women but instead support fairness, justice, and equality.
This is a reminder for all of us, especially women to intensify advocacy for equality, fairness and social justice, as these stories reflect the lived- in realities of women across Nigeria.
Because until every woman is safe, no woman is.
Ajijir Martins,
Adamawa, Nigeria.
