El-Rufai signs new law with stiff penalty for rapists

Gov. Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State on Wednesday signed the State Penal Code (Amendment) Law 2020, which provides stiff penalty for rapists.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the law provides surgical castration and removal of Fallopian tubes for male and female convicts respectively upon conviction of raping a child.

The principal law, the Penal Code Law No. 5 of Kaduna State 2017, was amended by substituting Section 258, to now provide that, “whoever commits rape of a child below the age of fourteen (14) years shall on conviction, be punished with Surgical Castration and death.

“Whoever has sexual intercourse with a male child below the age of fourteen 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 fourteen 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 fourteen years, corroboration of a medical report shall be necessary.”