The Jigawa State Government has passed a child protection law that mandates the death penalty for rapists instead of life in prison.
Dr. Musa Adamu, the Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General, revealed this during a year-end press conference in Dutse, Jigawa’s state capital, on Wednesday.
Anyone convicted of raping a kid under the age of ten, he claims, will be put to death with no other options.
“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,” Dr. Musa said.
He said that 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,” he added.
One of the ministry’s greatest issues, according to the commissioner, is the delay in criminal litigation, which he claims is not unique to Jigawa State.
The challenges associated with criminal litigation delays, according to Adamu, can be mitigated by the right application of technology.
