Nigerian Senate has raised the punishment for kidnapping from 10 years to life imprisonment.
It also deleted the statute of limitation on defilement as well as removed gender restrictions on rape.
The resolutions followed the third reading and passage of A Bill for an Act to amend the Criminal Code Act, Laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 2004.
The Bill, sponsored by Oluremi Tinubu, seeks to delete the statute of limitation on defilement, increase punishment for kidnapping and remove gender restrictions on rape and other related matters.
The Bill also eliminated the current time frame for reporting and prosecuting defilement cases across the country.
It also removed gender restrictions on rape by explaining that both male and female could be raped.
The senators noted that when the Bill becomes law, an offence of defilement or rape would be actionable perpetually.
