Abstract
Nigeria, an African country, with population of about 212,094,982 million, with territory spanning about 910,770 kilometers gained its
independence from the United Kingdom on the 1st of October, 1960. However, it is apt to state that, the country was embroiled in an
armed conflict between the armed forces of Nigeria and other dissident armed groups, from 1967-1970. Women in most cases are
made vulnerable to sexual and other forms of gender based violence. This article extensively analyzed the extent to which women are
exposed in situations of armed conflicts, the concept of sexual violence, its nature, causes, forms and effects on women in armed
conflicts, available legal remedies for victims of sexual violence in situation of armed conflicts in Nigeria. This article contended that,
non-domestication of International treaties on crimes of sexual violence, non-prosecution of perpetrators of sexual crimes, inadequacy
of penal laws, lack of specialized courts and trained personal for conflict related sexual offenses, lack of access and confidence in the
legal system by the survivors have been largely responsible for the current state of affairs. The following recommendations had been
made: International treaties on crimes of sexual violence, such as, the Rome statute of the International Criminal Court, the convention on
the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights on the
Rights of women (Maputo Protocol), Declaration of Human Rights and The African Charter on Human and People’s Rights which had been domesticated already, should be made more practicable.
