News
Senate stipulates life jail for child molesters
The Senate on Tuesday passed a bill prescribing life imprisonment for anyone, male or female, found guilty of sexually defiling minors in a move to stem the rising tide of child sexual abuse across the country.
The passage of the bill comes amid mounting concerns over increasing cases of paedophilia and child molestation, which have left many victims physically and psychologically scarred.
Reports from rights groups and law enforcement agencies in recent years show that Nigeria has witnessed an alarming surge in cases involving children as young as five being sexually assaulted by adults, including family members, teachers, and clerics.
Presenting the motion, Senator Adams Oshiomhole (APC–Edo North) stressed that the offence of defiling a minor should be treated differently from that of raping an adult.
“A minor is a child who cannot give consent and whose life can be permanently damaged by such an act. Those involved in defilement deserve severe punishment.
“I propose 20 years penalty for anyone found guilty. There are disturbing cases involving children as young as five or ten,” Oshiomhole said.
Deputy Senate President, Senator Jibrin Barau, also supported the motion, insisting that offenders should face punishment without the option of a fine.
Although Oshiomhole’s initial 20-year jail term proposal gained traction, it was later rejected after Senator Muhammad Aliero (Kebbi Central) argued that the punishment should be stiffer to serve as a deterrent.
“I want to propose that the punishment for defilement of minors should be life imprisonment, regardless of the offender’s gender,” Aliero said.
His position was immediately backed by Senator Solomon Adeola (Ogun West), who maintained that the gravity of the crime warranted the maximum penalty.
When the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, put the motion to a voice vote, the “ayes” were overwhelmingly in the majority.
Akpabio declared, “I hereby move that henceforth any man or woman who is guilty of defiling a minor should be sentenced to life imprisonment.”
The bill’s passage is expected to serve as a deterrent amid growing public concern that many child rape cases go unpunished due to weak enforcement and social stigma.
Over the past decade, several high-profile cases of minors being raped, some by trusted relatives and religious figures, have drawn widespread condemnation and renewed calls for harsher penalties.
In 2020, during the peak of the COVID-19 lockdown, the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons reported a spike in cases of child defilement, with many offenders walking free due to loopholes in existing laws.
If signed into law, the new legislation would replace earlier provisions under Nigeria’s Criminal Code and Penal Code, which prescribed lighter sentences for offenders.
Former Attorney-General Abubakar Malami says Economic and Financial Crimes Commission operatives forcefully evicted him and his family from their Abuja residence despite ongoing court proceedings over the property’s forfeiture.
He described the action as unlawful and vowed to challenge it in court.
The governor of Oyo state, Seyi Makinde, has approved a N10,000 transportation allowance as a palliative for the state workforce to cushion the effects of the increase in the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit, otherwise known as petrol.
The Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Oyo State chapter, Kayode Martins, in a statement released on Monday, March 23, disclosed that the governor has granted the request of the union on the issue of transportation allowance.
The statement read
“Following the intervention and formal request made by the State Council of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) earlier this morning, the state government has approved a N10,000 transportation allowance for all workers in the state.
The newly approved allowance is set to take effect from April 2026, providing much-needed relief to workers grappling with rising transportation costs amid current economic challenges.
This development comes as a direct response to sustained advocacy by the state NLC, aimed at cushioning the impact of increased living expenses on the workforce.
Further details on implementation are expected to be communicated by the relevant government authorities in due course.”
News
Former Acting Accountant-General of the Federation bags 72years imprisonment for diverting N868.46 million security funds
Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja, on Monday, March 23, convicted and sentenced Chukwunyere Nwabuoku, former acting Accountant-General of the Federation (AGoF), to a 72-year jail term without an option of fine.
DailyTrust reports that in the judgment delivered, Justice Omotosho held that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had been able to prove the nine-count money laundering charge beyond reasonable doubt.
According to the judge, the defendant is hereby convicted as charged.
Justice Omotosho convicted Nwabuoku in all the nine counts and sentenced him to eight years imprisonment in each of the counts, making 72 years.
The judge, however, ordered that the counts shall run concurrently.
Justice Omotosho, who described Nwabuoku’s act of diverting funds meant for security and defence while he served as Director of Finance and Account in the Ministry of Defence as “appalling,” commended the EFCC for being detailed in its prosecution.
The judge observed that the evidence of the 9th prosecution witness that Nwabuoku voluntarily refunded part of the siphoned money of over N200 million during investigation was not controverted by the defence.
Nwabuoku served as the Director of Finance and Accounts in the Ministry of Defence between 2019 and 2021. He became acting Accountant General of the Federation in May 2022.
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