Senate Seeks Life Sentence For Defilement, Suspends Debate On Abortion
The Senate on Tuesday proposed life sentence for anyone found guilty of defiling a minor, whether the victim is male or female.
This came through a debate on the currently five-year jail term that the offence attracts, which many of the senators dismissed as “a slap on there wrist.”
The debate sought drastic amendment to the Criminal Code Act under a new bill —Criminal Code Act (Amendment) Bill, 2025.
The amendment gives no room for option of fine, as the lawmakers deplored the growing cases of defilement of minors across the country.
The Senate-in-session classified defilement of minors as “a very grevious offences, capable of destroying the life of the victim child forever.”
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A version of the same amendment passed by the House of Representatives a few months ago, had recommended 20 years jail term for offenders.
But the senators described 20 years as inadequate, considering the gravity of the offennce.
President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, said defilement is more serious an offence than rape
As such, he argued that the offence should carry more punishment, with the senators unanimously voting to approve the life imprisonment clause.
The lawmakers proposed a minimum of 10 years, instead of the current five years, for rape or forceful penetration of adults or minors, male or female.
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Clause 2(1) of the ammendment bill reads, “Any person who detains a man or boy, a girl or a woman against his or her will in any premises, in order to have unlawful canal knowledge of him or her; in a brothel or any place, commits a felony and attracts a minimum jail term of 10 years, on conviction.”
The bill was adjusted to include male adults and minors in the rape victim category, following arguments by Senator Adams Oshiomhole.
The Senate however, suspended midway, a debate on a bill to ammend the Abortion Bill, for further consultation.
The suspension of the debate followed the contributions of Senator Saliu Mustapha, who argued that several health factors could necessitate an abortion.
According to him, abortion may be carried out in certain circumstances where the lives of the embryo and the woman are endangered.
