The Nigerian Senate on Tuesday passed a bill prescribing life imprisonment for anyone convicted of sexually defiling a minor, in a move aimed at curbing the rising wave of child sexual abuse across the country.
The passage of the bill follows growing national outrage over increasing cases of pedophilia and child molestation, which have left countless victims traumatized and scarred.
Presenting the motion, Senator Adams Oshiomhole (APC–Edo North) argued that defilement should attract stiffer penalties than adult rape, noting that minors lack the capacity to give consent.
“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 a 20-year penalty for anyone found guilty. There are disturbing cases involving children as young as five or ten,” Oshiomhole said.
However, his proposed 20-year sentence was rejected after Senator Muhammad Adamu Aliero (Kebbi Central) moved for a life imprisonment term to serve as a stronger deterrent.
“I want to propose that the punishment for defilement of minors should be life imprisonment, regardless of the offender’s gender,” Aliero stated.
His position was backed by Senator Solomon Adeola (Ogun West), who said the gravity of the offence warranted the maximum penalty.
When Senate President Godswill Akpabio put the motion to a voice vote, the “ayes” had it overwhelmingly.
“I hereby move that henceforth any man or woman who is guilty of defiling a minor should be sentenced to life imprisonment,” Akpabio declared.
The bill is expected to strengthen Nigeria’s legal framework against sexual violence, replacing lighter penalties under the Criminal and Penal Codes.
Over the past decade, rights groups and law enforcement agencies have reported an alarming rise in cases involving children as young as five being assaulted by relatives, teachers, and even clerics.
If signed into law, the legislation will mark one of Nigeria’s toughest measures yet against child defilement — addressing long-standing concerns over weak enforcement, social stigma, and loopholes that have allowed many offenders to escape justice.
