House of Reps votes against castration as punishment for rape

House of Reps votes against castration as punishment for rape

- As Nigerians demand justice for victims of sexual violence, the House of Representatives has rejected castration as punishment for sex offenders

- The lower chamber, however, charged the federal government to launch an offensive campaign on violence against women

- The House also identified weak institutions, poor enforcement and poverty as factors responsible for a spike in sexual violence against the female gender

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The move to get capital punishment for sexual violence was hit by a massive setback as the House of Representatives rejected castration as a penalty for rapists.

The lower chamber made its stance against castration known during a plenary on Thursday, June 4, amid nation-wide demand by Nigerians for heavy sentence for sexual violence.

According to The Cable, Hon. James Abiodun Faleke, an All Progressive Congress (APC) House member representing Ikeja Federal Constituency, made the suggestion to make rape an offence punishable by castration.

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Debating on the rampant cases of sexual violence in Nigeria, the federal lawmakers attributed weak institutions, poor enforcement, poverty and unacceptable social practices as some of the factors fuelling violence against women.

They, however, urged the federal government to launch a highly offensive campaign against rape and all sorts of coordinated violence channelled towards the female gender.

Legit.ng recalls that the spike in rape cases has recently set the country on the red line of rage as Nigerians bemoaned the murder of Vera Uwaila Omozuwa, a UNIBEN student killed in a church where she went to read in Edo.

The same fate happened to Barakat, an 18-year-old student of Moore Plantation recently raped and killed in her father's house in Ibadan.

Another young girl identified simply as Jennifer was also sexually assaulted in Kaduna state by five boys said to be her friends.

These cases came close within a week, forcing Nigerians to trend #endtorape hashtag on social media.

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On Tuesday, June 4, both President Muhammadu Buhari and APC national leader Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu pitched their tents with a legion of Nigerians seeking justice for the victims.

In his statement, Tinubu said there is nothing that can defend the wrongdoing, making cases for the death of the trio of Vera Uwaila Omozuwa, Tina Ezekiel and Jennifer.

President Buhari, on the other hands, extended condolences to the family and relatives of the victims and promised that no stone will be left untouched in the course of seeking justice.

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