Kaduna state Governor, Nasir El-Rufai has signed a new law stating that male rape offenders should undergo surgical castration while their female counterparts would have their fallopian tubes removed.
This is coming amid rampant cases of Rape in Kaduna state and in extension the country.
Statistics by United Nations International Children Education Fund (UNICEF) shows that one in four girls and one in ten boys have undergone sexual violence before the age of 18.
Governor El-Rufai has amended the existing rape bill to accommodate stiffer penalties for persons found guilty of rape.
According to the amended law which takes effect from Sep 11, 2020, male rape offenders would be sentenced to castration, 21 years imprisonment and subsequent death depending on the age of their victims.
The amendment of the rape bill was contained in a document sighted by The Cable.
“Whoever commits rape of a child below the age of fourteen years shall on conviction, be punished with surgical castration and death,” it read.
“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 punishment of surgical castration and life imprisonment.
“Where the convict is a child, the court shall order as appropriate under the Children and Young Persons Law Cap 26 Laws of Kaduna State 1991.
“Where the victim is a child, the court shall in addition to the conviction under sub-section (1) and (2) order that the convict be listed in the sex offenders register to be published in the media by the Attorney General.
“Where the court is trying the offence of rape involving a child below the age of fourteen (14) years, corroboration of medical report shall be necessary.
“In addition to life imprisonment or 21 years’ imprisonment, anyone convicted of rape will have his organ surgically removed so that even after he finishes his term, he will not be able to rape anyone again,” El-Rufai had said.
“So long as the tool exists, there is the likelihood that he may go back to do it again. Most of the perpetrators are young people, so even after 21 years, they can come back and continue.”