A bill which seeks to remove 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 which recognizes males as rape victims and also seeks to
remove the statute of limitation in cases of defilement was sponsored
by senator representing Lagos central Oluremi Tinubu.
Oluremi Tinubu in her lead debate said 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 often take longer than two months”, Tinubu said.
“Considering the shortage of police personnel, relative to our
population as prescribed by international standards, the two months
limitation is unlikely to be met at all.“With the development and innovation in forensic technology and the
accessibility or otherwise of such infrastructure in Nigeria, rushed
investigations with a view to commencing prosecutions within a two month
period leave a possibility of a huge margin for error.”The bill also seeks an amendment to section 221 of the criminal code
which provides that “where a person has or attempts carnal knowledge of a
girl being of or above the age of thirteen and under the age sixteen,
an ‘idiot or imbecile’, he shall be liable to imprisonment for a period
of two years provided that the prosecution is commenced within two
months after the offence is committed.”
The Lagos Senator stated that “there are incidents of non-consensual
sex perpetrated against the male gender” and further described
the criminal code act which defines rape as an offence against women as
“grievous”. She said it promotes the socio-cultural belief that men do
not need to consent to sexual acts.