Niger State governor's wife advocates minimum sentence of life imprisonment for rapists

WIFE of the Niger State governor Dr Amina Bello has called for life imprisonment for those convicted of rape arguing that it is the only way to address the widespread prevalence of the crime.

Of late, rape has become commonplace Nigeria and according to Dr Bello, in Niger State raping takes place on a weekly basis. The governor’s wife, who made the suggestion in Minna when she received top officials of the state Ministry of Justice on an advocacy visit, decried the present lenient punishment for offenders,

Dr Bello said: "I receive reports of one or two rape cases, most of them minors. This is disturbing because the lives of the victims are being destroyed.

"Our current punishments are not stringent enough to deter people from committing the crime. If life sentence is the maximum punishment for rapists those involved will think twice before committing the offence.”

She also took exception to the N10,000 fine and two-month jail term recently handed down to a homosexual who raped a 12-year-old boy to death. Dr Bello said that the punishment was not commensurate with the offence committed.