A bill that seeks to get rid of gender restrictions on rape offences and also proposes stiffer penalties for kidnapping has passed its second reading on the floor of the Nigerian senate.
The bill that acknowledges males as rape victims and additionally seeks to get rid of the statute of limitation in cases of defilement was sponsored by senator representing Lagos central Oluremi Tinubu.
Oluremi Tinubu in her lead debate aforementioned section 218 of the criminal code constitutes a limitation to the prosecution of an offender as it only allows for only two months after the offence is committed.
“This is untenable in a country where investigations usually take longer than 2 months”, Tinubu aforementioned.
“Considering the shortage of police personnel, relative to our population as prescribed by international standards, the 2 months limitation is unlikely to be met in the least.
“With the development and innovation in rhetorical technology and the accessibility or otherwise of such infrastructure in Nigeria, hurried investigations with a read to commencing prosecutions within a 2 month period leave a possibility of an enormous margin for error.”
The bill additionally seeks associate modification to section 221 of the criminal code that provides that “where an individual has or makes an attempt sexual practice of a girl being of or on top of the age of 13 and underneath the age sixteen, an ‘idiot or imbecile’, he shall be prone to imprisonment for a amount of 2 years on condition that the prosecution is commenced within 2 months once the offence is committed.”