Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi

Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi is a Nigerian lawyer and civil rights activist. She is the founding Director of Women Advocates Research and Documentation Center (WARDC), a non-governmental maternal and reproductive health advocacy organization which major objective is to promote women's rights, human rights, governance and rule of law.

Akiyode-Afolabi is an executive board member of West Africa Network for Peacebuilding and the Nigerian Women's Trust Fund. She teaches international humanitarian law at the University of Lagos.

Early life and education Akiyode-Afolabi was born in Kwara State but she grew up in Osogbo, Osun State, Nigeria. She earned her master's degree at the Notre Dame Law School, Indiana, USA and her doctoral degree from SOAS University of London with a specialization in international humanitarian law focusing on women's peace and security.

In 2018, Akiyode-Afolabi acting as the executive director of Women Advocate Research and Documentation Center (WARDC), obtained favorable judgement against Nigeria in the domestic violence case of Mary Sunday v. Nigeria which was before the Court of Justice of the Economic Community of West African State (ECOWAS Court).

She successfully represented Monica Osagie, a student at the Obafemi Awolowo University who was sexually harassed by Prof. Richard Iyiola Akindele, a lecturer at the department of accounting in 2018. Akiyode-Afolabi teaches international humanitarian law at the University of Lagos.