Ahmad Alabira, Dutse
Governor Mohammed Badaru Abubakar on Wednesday signed the Jigawa state Child Protection Act, which has been in the state House of Assembly for the past ten years.
Also making some clarifications on the law, the Chairman House Committee on Justice and Judiciary, Honourable Abubakar Sadiq Jallo said the passage of the Bill into law by the House and signing into law by the Governor was done in good faith.
He said before the bill was passed by the House, a Technical Committee of experts was constituted with members from council of Ulamah, who studied the report and expunged sections that were in Conflict with religion and culture of the Jigawa indigenes.
He said under the law, Sodomy is taken as rape, using finger to penetrate under aged girl is also a rape and is punishable by death sentence if the victim is below ten years and is life imprisonment if the victim is above ten years.
On early girl child marriage, he said the law is not active on that, “it is left for the Muslim society to decide which time is ripe for marriage. Because it is a constitutional right for Muslims to marry their daughters according to Islamic law.
