Muhammad Garba
Jigawa state Governor, Alhaji Muhammad Badaru Abubakar has signed Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Act into law, while maintaining Islamic Sharia’ law Supremacy.
Speaking to Journalists after signing the law the Attorney General and Commissioner for justice in the State, Br Musa Aliyu said, the law is designed to give maximum protection to the vulnerable group in the society.
He noted that, the act was domesticated and ensure it is inline with Shari’a law and also dose not contradict with cultural belief of the people of the state before.
Br Musa added that, the documents signed in to law has three components Definition of the law, Offenses and Punishment.
According to him, the law has prescribed death sentence to rapists, abductors and kidnappers with other three optional punishment, depending on the circumstances and judge discretion.
“If the rapist infected the victim with HIV the Judge has no option than to pass death sentence particularly if the accused person has knowledge of his HIV status.”
“The law also stipulated 16 year as age of consent, while any illegal sexual intercourse through mouth, anus, Virginia remain proscribed in according to the law.”
The Commissioner added that, the new law has stipulated 6 months to 4 years imprisonment on any body found guilty of political thuggery or sponsored act of thuggery.
However, the law maintains that, Sharia law should take precedence if any matter in the new law contradicts Islamic teaching.
In his reaction shortly after signing the new law, the chairman of Jigawa Coalition for Violence Against Person (JCVAPP) Comrade Lawan Ya’u commended all the people that contributed in domesticating the act and its actualization as a law in the state.
