The Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency has introduced a program with the aim of raising awareness among men about their potential vulnerability to sexual and gender-based violence. In line with this, the agency encouraged male victims of domestic and sexual violence to break the culture of silence and share their experiences.
The Executive Secretary of DSVA, Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi. Credit: The Punch During the launch of the ‘The Hidden Crime, Violence Against Men’ project, which took place in Alausa, the Executive Secretary of DSVA, Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi, emphasized to the approximately 300 male participants their crucial role in the fight against SGBV in the state. Vivour-Adeniyi revealed that a recent community engagement in over 10 local government areas highlighted the necessity for education and support specifically targeting men who have experienced SGBV. She stated that the project’s objective was to ensure equal attention to all genders in the agency’s advocacy, prevention, and response efforts, emphasizing their determination to dismantle the culture of silence that allows sexual and gender-based violence to persist in society through this initiative. Similarly, the agency’s Community Engagement Officer, Ikudaisi Oluwatobi, urged men to come forward and report any instances of sexual violence within their community to eliminate this menace from the state. Oluwatobi reiterated that the primary goal of the project launch was to “raise awareness about the prevalence of gender-based violence in Lagos.” In other news, a Celestial church in the Ajah area of Lagos state was set on fire by an angry mob over allegations of finding a body with missing body parts on its premises. However, the police confirmed that the body found was not missing its parts while confirming that the labourer by the name of Dogo fell into a soakaway and was dead before reaching the hospital. A church worker was also confirmed to have fallen in the same soakaway while trying to rescue the victim but is currently hospitalized.
Former Manchester City star Sergio Aguero is currently being investigated for allegedly instigating violence against a referee with his online commentary during a match between Independiente and Racing Club last month. During the Avellaneda derby, the referee awarded the latter a penalty in the first half which helped them to equalize through Matias Rojas. This left the Argentine superstar who started his football career at Independiente fuming. He hurled abuse at the official during a live session on Twitch. “How can he, the referee, what the f**k is his name… Yael Falcon Perez. Listen to me, Yael Falcon, that name is a disaster. You can say [the penalty], it starts outside and ends up inside. But he goes on to say ‘where the first contact is made is where the foul is called’. The truth is that he’s ready to kick the s**t out of this fathead,” he allegedly stated. AS has now reported that Aguero is being investigated by the Agency for the Prevention of Violence in Sport over the remark. 
The agency head Eduardo Aparicio said; “Comments made by the former soccer player, internationally recognised as a supporter of Independiente, Sergio Leonel Aguero, have come out in the media, about the work carried out by the referee Yael Falcon Perez in the match in question, in which there was a disputed play that led to a penalty in favour of the visiting club. “It is necessary to mention that his comments towards the referring authority – aggressive and demeaning – clearly contravene the current regulations on sports safety and could be interpreted as instigating violence. [There have been] threats received by referee Yael Falcon Perez and his family, [and] flares launched at his mother’s home.” This is not the first time Aguero has been caught up in a controversy. He launched a scathing attack at Zlatan Ibrahimovic earlier this year after the Swedish forward claimed that Argentina would not win any further World Cups after the departure of Lionel Messi. Moreover, he was called a ‘son of a b*tch’ by Pablo Duggan, an Argentine journalist, after he suggested the dollarisation of Argentina’s economy. 
James who took to his Instastory to react to a report of a Chelsea supporter being knocked out during Saturday’s match against West Ham, called for people to stop the violence. He stated that violence is never the answer. He wrote; “The news has crossed my attention that a fan was punched & knocked out before todays game. I totally understand rivalry and the tension between teams in big game but violence is no answer. I hope he’s okay. Appreciate the travelling fans as always. Stick with us & stay safe. See u in Dortmund.” 
