El-Rufai signs bill ordering castration of r*pists into law

Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, on Wednesday signed the state’s Penal Code (Amendment) Law 2020.

The governor’s Special Adviser on Media and Communication, Muyiwa Adekeye, who disclosed this in a statement, said the amendment also updated the penalties for child defilement.

According to the statement, the new provisions include surgical castration and bilateral salpingectomy for male and female convicts of child defilement, and death penalty.

The statement read: “Following Malam El-Rufai’s assent to the amended law on 11th September 2020, the new law has come into effect in Kaduna State. It introduces stricter punishments than the previous law which carried a maximum penalty of 21 years imprisonment for the rape of an adult and life imprisonment for the rape of a child.

“Under the amended law, the punishment for the rape of a person older than 14 years will include surgical castration or removal of fallopian tubes, but the death penalty shall not apply. In cases where the rape convict is also a child, the court shall order an appropriate punishment under the Children and Young Persons Law Cap 26, Laws of Kaduna State 1991.

“While commending the members of the Kaduna State House of Assembly for passing the amendments, the governor stated that these drastic penalties are required to help further protect children from a serious crime.

“The Kaduna State Penal Code (Amendment) Law 2020 amends the Penal Code Law (No.5) of Kaduna State, 2017 by substituting section 258 as follows :

“Whoever commits rape of a child below the age of fourteen (14) years shall on conviction, be punished with surgical castration and death.

READ ALSO: Kaduna Assembly approves full surgical castration as penalty for r*pists

“Whoever has sexual intercourse with a male child below the age of 14 years shall be punished with surgical castration and death.

“Where a female adult is convicted for the offence of rape of a child, the court shall punish the accused with bilateral salpingectomy and death.

“Where the victim is above 14 years, the court shall on conviction sentence the accused with a punishment of surgical castration and life imprisonment.

“Where the convict is a child, the court shall order as appropriate under the Children and Young Person Law Cap 26 Laws of Kaduna State 1991.

“Where the victim is a child, the court shall in addition to the conviction, order that the convict be listed in the Sex Offenders Register to be published by the Attorney General.

“Where the court is trying the offence of rape involving a child below the age of 14 years, corroboration of a medical report shall be necessary.”

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now