Adamawa State House of Assembly has enacted a bill to eliminate violence in private and public life, as well as prohibit all forms of violence against persons in the state.
The passage of the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Bill by lawmakers, which is awaiting assent by Governor Ahmadu Fintiri, came on the heels of the rape of a six-month-old baby, lawmaker Kate Mamuno (PDP, Demsa), said. She is the only female of the 25-member state assembly.
Kate, who is chairperson, House Committee on Women Affairs and Social Development, spoke on Tuesday at the EU-UN Spotlight workshop on capacity building for enforcement of VAPP ACT, organised by Stand to End Rape Initiative.
She said lawmakers were moved by sordid cases of sexual and gender-based violence, including one incident that had to do with the rape of a six-month old baby by an aged man.
To curb rape of minors, the revised VAPP Act, 2015 passed by the state lawmakers prescribed death penalty for rape of minors, to wit, persons age 14 and younger.
Ms Mamuno said, “Before passing the VAPP bill in Adamawa, we had to compare and contrast the penal code and the VAPP Act.
“The VAPP Act, 2015 was more elaborate than the penal code in addressing the challenge of rape, sexual and gender-based violence against girls and women.
“There were challenge in getting the VAPP bill passed because of our own peculiarities, which had to be considered.
“In the course of our deliberations, we heard of the case of a six-month old baby who was raped by an unscrupulous man.”
“The VAPP Act states that a person age 14 years and below is a minor. So, whoever rapes a minor, it is death by hanging.”
While expressing hope for the governor’s speedy assent to the bill, Mamuno applauded the role played by the governor’s wife in the passage of the bill.
Executive Director, Stand to End Rape Initiative, Oluwaseun Osowobi, who expressed happiness with passage of the VAPP bill, urged Governor Fintiri to assent to it without further ado.
