Reps want rapists jailed for life

A bill for an Act on Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) is underway and should it be passed as presented, convicted rapists are liable to life imprisonment.
Interestingly, members of the House of Representatives, who are working on the bill, want rape victims to keep the pregnancies.
Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, who presented the report on the Bill consisting of 51 clauses on Tuesday, argued that with the rising cases of violence against persons in the country, the Bill had become expedient.
The Bill also provides that persons convicted of gang raping a victim shall be liable jointly and severally to a minimum of 20 years imprisonment without an option if fine.
It however put a proviso that where the offender is less than 14 years, the offender shall be liable to a minimum of 14 years imprisonment and a minimum of 12 years without an option of fine.
Other provisions of the Bill are that:
Anyone convicted of willfully causing or inflicting physical injury on another person by means of any warp on, substance or object will be liable to imprisonment not exceeding five years or a fine of N100,000 or both.
Any person who incites, aids, abets, or counsels another person to commit the act of violence and is guilty of the offence is also liable on conviction to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years or to a fine not exceeding N200,000 or to both fine and imprisonment.
Any person who compels another by force or threat to engage in any conduct or act of sexual or otherwise to the detriment of the victim’s physical or psychological well being commits an offence and is liable on conviction to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years or a fine not exceeding N500,000 or both.
Female circumcision and general mutilation also drew punishments as any person convicted of performing it or engaging someone to carry it out risks four years jail term or a fine not more than N200,000 or both.
Aiding female circumcision attracts N100,000 or two years jail term or both while any person convicted of frustrating investigation and prosecution of offenders is guilty of felony and liable on conviction to imprisonment not more than three years or a fine not exceeding N500,000.
The lawmakers in their wisdom however, rejected and deleted the recommendation that the victim has the right to terminate pregnancy resulting from rape and proven harmful to the health of the victim.