Nigerian Senate on Tuesday passed a bill which prescribes life jail to replace the current 10 years maximum sentence for kidnappers.

The bill, tagged ‘The Criminal Code Act (Amendment) Bill, 2020’ sponsored by Oluremi Tinubu (APC, Lagos Central), had passed second reading in the Senate on Tuesday, 26 November 2019.

Also, the Bill as amended and passed by the Senate has now approved deletion of the limitation period for the prosecution of defilement. It now holds that anyone who commits rape can be prosecuted any time the matter is filed.

It further prescribed that there should be no gender bias in rape offences, explaining that a man or woman could be raped.