Law Prescribing Castration For Rape Offenders Passed In Kaduna

Castration as a punitive measure against rapists in Kaduna State has been passed by the Kaduna State House of Assembly.

The passage of the bill into law was announced on Twitter via the Assembly's official handle although, it was deleted not long after it was posted.

However, the development was announced via the Twitter handle of the Majority leader of the Assembly.

The tweet disclosed that the recently-passed bill was an amendment of the Kaduna State Penal Court Law No.5 of 2017.

The tweet read, “A bill to amend the Kaduna State Penal Court Law No.5 of 2017 has yesterday 09/09/2020 been pass into Law by
@Kadlegislature. The Bill Recommend total Castration for Rapist in the State."

A bill to amend the Kaduna State Penal Court Law No.5 of 2017 has yesterday 09/09/2020 been pass into Law by @Kadlegislature

"The Bill Recommend total Castration for Rapist in the State"

— Majority Leader KSHA (@leader_ksha) September 10, 2020

In the state penal law against rapists, the law prescribed 21 years imprisonment for the rape of an adult and life imprisonment for the rape of minors.

The state governor, Nasir el-Rufai had said regarding the bill, “In addition to life imprisonment or 21 years’ imprisonment, anyone convicted of rape will have his organ surgically removed so that even after he finishes his term, he will not be able to rape anyone again,” the governor had said.

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“So long as the tool exists, there is the likelihood that he may go back to do it again. Most of the perpetrators are young people, so even after 21 years, they can come back and continue.”

The new law was passed as a response to the recent spate of rape cases in the country.

According to the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, 717 rape cases were reported in the span of five months in 2020.