Jigawa Approves Death Penalty For Child Rapists

Jigawa State Government has approved the death penalty for child rapists in the state.

Gatekeepers News reports that Jigawa State Government has enacted the child protection law that prescribes the death penalty for rapists in the State without the option of life imprisonment.

The Commissioner for Justice and the Attorney General, Dr. Musa Adamu made this known during an end-of-the-year press briefing in the state capital, Dutse on Wednesday.

Adamu said anyone convicted of raping a child below the age of ten shall be sentenced to death with no other option.

He spoke further, “Earlier this year the Jigawa state Governor, Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar has signed the Violence Against Prohibition Bill which prescribed the death penalty for rapists but with the option of life imprisonment. But recently the government has also signed the child protection law which prescribed the death penalty for anyone that raped a child below the age of 10.”

According to him, the ministry had received “a total number of 196 case diaries while 178 pieces of legal advice were prepared in respect of the case diaries, received.

“Out of the total number of the case diaries, 90 were rape cases; 27 culpable homicides; sodomy has 31; kidnapping and abduction have a total number of 18 cases; incest two; two 2 acts of gross indecency; 20 armed robberies while road traffic offenses have two cases.

“The ministry has prosecuted and defended a total number of 25 appeals before Court of Appeal, Kano Division, and has also completed the prosecution of 83 criminal trials before eight High Courts at Birnin Kudu, Dutse, Gumel Hadejia, Kazaure, and Ringim. 34 convictions and Forty-Nine 49 defendants were discharged and acquitted.”

Adamu also lamented the delay in criminal litigation as one of the major challenges of the ministry, stating that this is not peculiar to Jigawa State.

However, the commissioner noted that the problems associated with the delay in criminal litigation can be reduced by the proper use of technology.