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Is it too late to report in Nigeria?
Probably later than you think.
Nigeria does have a deadline, and it is quoted in full below rather than summarised. It is measured against the law, not against how long you have been quiet.
Some of this comes from support organisations or published research rather than an official source in Nigeria. Sources are below.
the deadline in Nigeria, quoted in full
Specific national limitation periods are not centrally published. Some Nigerian states, such as Delta State, have already abolished any statute of limitations on rape and sexual assault. There has been public debate about extending this nationally. Check with a lawyer or the police in your state for the current position.
We quote this rather than shorten it. A shortened deadline is a wrong deadline, and this is the sentence a lawyer would want to read.
2 different clocks
The exam window runs in hours. The deadline runs in years.
the exam window in Nigeria
Report and seek examination as soon as possible so forensic evidence can still be recovered. Washing or changing clothes can make evidence harder to obtain. Emergency contraception and HIV post-exposure prophylaxis need to be taken within 72 hours of the assault to be effective. Exams are carried out at government hospitals or SARCs.
This is the clock that runs out fast. You can be examined without deciding whether to go to the police.
the limitation period
This is the deadline for the case itself — how long the law gives before a prosecution can no longer be brought. It is usually many years for rape, and often longer or unlimited when the survivor was a child.
Missing the exam window does not mean the limitation period has passed. They are separate clocks.
where to report in Nigeria
You, a legal representative, or someone you authorise in writing can report to the police. Gender Units exist in police stations in most of Nigeria's 36 states. Lagos State has dedicated Family Support Units that investigate and can charge sexual and gender-based violence cases directly. You can ask for an officer of a particular gender, though availability is not guaranteed. Police will usually refer you to a government hospital or a Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) for a forensic examination. One example is the Mirabel Centre in Lagos. You can also go to a SARC directly, without a police referral.
if the deadline has passed
A closed case is not the same as no record.
If the period above has run out where you are, a prosecution may no longer be possible. That is the plain truth and we will not dress it up. 3 things are still open to you.
a timestamped report
What you write here is dated and kept. Years later, a record that existed before anyone asked for it carries weight a memory does not.
a sealed report that can match
Seal it against an identifier — a profile link, a phone, a workplace. Nobody sees it until someone else names the same person. Their case may still be inside the deadline.
a pin on the map
Publish it and the next person searching Nigeria can see it. He stays an alias unless a court, the police or the press have already published his name.
Many countries also treat the clock differently when the survivor was a child, when the offence is ongoing, or when new evidence appears. A support organisation in this list can tell you whether that applies to you.
who can tell you today
People in Nigeria who do this every day.
These are independent of Escrow. They know how the deadline is read in practice where you are, and they can also just talk.
Mirabel Centre (Sexual Assault Referral Centre, Lagos)
Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (DSVA)
WARIF Sexual Assault Referral Centre
sources
The deadline above came from one of these.
- Nigeria: information for victims of rape and sexual assault
UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office · published 1 January 2025 · checked 28 August 2026
- Directory of Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARCs) Nigeria
Safeguarding Support Hub · checked 28 August 2026
This is information, not legal advice.
Nobody here is your lawyer. The deadline above is quoted from a source we read, and the date we read it is beside it. Laws change, and an office may read a deadline differently from the statute. For your own case, ask a lawyer or a support organisation in Nigeria.
If something here is out of date, write to hello@escrow.nanocorp.app and we will check it and say when we did.
when you are ready
There is no deadline for writing it down here. A report on Escrow can be made years afterwards, and nothing happens until you say so.
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