The Kaduna State House of Assembly (KSHA) in Nigeria has passed a bill approving full surgical castration as punishment for those convicted of rape.
The development was announced by the majority leader of the state’s parliament, Haruna M A Inuwa, on Thursday, in a tweet.
“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,” the tweet read.
Currently, the state penal law provides for 21 years of imprisonment for rape of an adult and life imprisonment in the case of a child.
It is not immediately clear if there are provisions against female rapists in the new bill.
Kaduna State Governor, Nasir el-Rufai, had in July advocated stiff punishment for rape convicts. He had, then, said convicts often rape more persons after serving their jail term.
“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.
“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.”
He had also said the state would expunge the provision for bail conditions for rape convicts.
State commissioner for woman’s affairs and social development, Hafsat Baba, described the approval by the state assembly as a “welcome development” and said that it will serve as “deterrent” for rapists.
State governor Nasir Ahmad el-Rufai will now need to sign the bill for it to become law in the state.
In June Nigerian governors declared a state of emergency over rape and violence against women and children in the country.
The number of successful prosecutions of rape suspects remains low and stigma often prevents victims from reporting incidents.