By Ahmed Abubakar, Dutse
Jigawa State Governor, Alhaji Muhammed Badaru Abubakar has signed into law the violence against persons prohibition bill with effect from Wednesday, 24th February 2021.
The signing of the law has brought to an end the controversy against the bill that some view as anti Islamic. The assented bill stipulate death penality for rapists and kidnappers.
Speaking on the new law, the state Attorney General and commissioner of Justice, Barrister Musa Adamu Aliyu said the “law has been drafted inline with section 36 of 1999 constitution as amended, if an act can be an offence, that offence must be clearly define and punishment must be prescribed.”
Barrister Aliyu disclosed that Violence Against Persons Prohibition Law stipulates death penalty for rapists and compensation of not less than N500,000 to the convict.
The Justice commissioner explained that the law is designed to give maximum protection to the vulnerable group in the society.
According to him “the act was domesticated and ensured it is inline with the Shari’a law and also does not contradict with the cultural belief and practices of the people of the state before its signing to law”.
He noted that the law has prescribed death sentence to rapists, abductors and Kidnappers with other three optional punishment, depending on the circumstances and judge discretion.
“If the rapist infected the victim with HIV the Judge has no option than to pass death sentence particularly if the accused person has knowledge of his HIV status.”
“The law also stipulated 16 year as age of consent, while any illegal sexual intercourse through the vagina, anus or mouth of either a boy or girl fall in the category of rape and the offender would be treated as such in accordance to the law”.
The commissioner added that, the new law has stipulated 6 month to 4 years imprisonment on anybody found guilty of political thurgery or act of sponsoring any act of thuggery.
“The new law according to him also stipulates that rape victim(s) would be compensated with not less than N500,000, while the court would order rape offenders “to be subjected to public shame through radio announcements”.
Others include any person who attempts to rape will be taken to correctional service center for a period of 14 years imprisonment, while sponsors of political thuggery attract N500,000 or option of four years.
Aliyu explained that any person found guilty of kidnapping or abduction cases will be sentenced to death with no option of fine.
