The senate has approved without any opposition a groundbreaking piece of legislation that mandates a lifetime behind bars for any individual convicted of sexually violating a child under the age of consent, and this punishment comes without the possibility of paying a monetary penalty instead.
This new law, which forms a component of extensive revisions to the existing Criminal Code Act as outlined in the Criminal Code (Amendment) Bill, 2025, signifies an important achievement in bolstering safeguards for children throughout the entire nation of Nigeria. The bill operates on a concurrent basis, meaning it had previously received endorsement from the lower chamber known as the House of Representatives.
Guiding the discussion on the floor, the Senate’s Majority Leader named Opeyemi Bamidele explained that the proposed changes are intended to “strengthen child protection laws and eliminate gender discrimination in the prosecution of s3xual offences.” He further pointed out that the crime involving defilement, which at present results in a prison sentence lasting only five years, will henceforth require an obligatory term of imprisonment for the remainder of the offender’s life.
Beyond the stipulation for life imprisonment in such cases, the Senate has additionally put forward a punishment involving ten years in jail for the act of r@pe, which the legislation describes as compelling any individual, regardless of whether they are male or female, to engage in s3x against their own free will, and this could occur inside a house of prostitution or in any alternative setting whatsoever.
The specific provision labeled as Clause 2(1) within the suggested revision declares: “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.”
Nevertheless, the examination of particular portions of this legislative proposal was put on hold for a short period following intense arguments centered around a section dealing with abortion that sparked worries related to faith-based beliefs and moral principles. The members of the Senate concurred that additional explanations were required regarding that particular stipulation, leading to the decision to send the bill over to the Senate’s Committee focused on Judiciary matters and Human Rights for a more thorough examination, along with an instruction for them to provide feedback in no more than fourteen days.
A short episode of tension occurred at that point when the lawmaker known as Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan made an effort to restart the conversation regarding the disputed section even though the bill had already been set aside temporarily. In response, Senator Adams Oshiomhole promptly brought up a procedural objection, contending that the established rules of the parliament prohibit any additional deliberation on a topic once an official decision has been made about it.
“I think my distinguished sister should agree that these are the rules and she should recognize that these are the rules,” Oshiomhole said.
In reply to that, the presiding officer of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, supported the raised objection by stating, “I’m not a spirit to know what she wanted to say,” at the same time as he emphasized again that the standard practices in parliament do not permit matters to be brought back up for consideration following an authoritative judgment. After that, he officially declared Senator Natasha to be acting contrary to the proper order.
A Gentle Reminder: Every obstacle is a stepping stone, every morning; a chance to go again, and those little steps take you closer to your dream.
Nnamdi Okoli
