Edo’s law against violence

Last week, the Edo State government moved to tighten the noose around perpetrators of violence when Governor Godwin Obaseki signed into law the Violence Against Persons [VAP] Bill. The bill was initiated by the Sixth Assembly but was only passed into law by the state’s Eighth Assembly. The new law is expected to address all […]

Last week, the Edo State government moved to tighten the noose around perpetrators of violence when Governor Godwin Obaseki signed into law the Violence Against Persons [VAP] Bill. The bill was initiated by the Sixth Assembly but was only passed into law by the state’s Eighth Assembly.

The new law is expected to address all forms of violence and protect vulnerable members of society. Obaseki, while signing the bill, promised to ensure its full implementation. He said, “We will not stop here by just signing the bill into law, but will commence the much difficult work of implementing it to the letter. It must be noted that this bill has been in consideration for over eight years but the time has come for us to have a law like this VAP Law, to protect the most vulnerable and weak in our society. As a government, we have aligned with the Federation of Women Lawyer’s [FIDA] purpose and objectives and therefore have no hesitation in signing the bill into law.”

Speaker of Edo State House of Assembly Kabiru Adjoto had earlier said the law would tackle violence in private and public life. He said, “This bill prohibits violence against all persons and provides maximum protection and effective remedy for victims and punishment for offenders and other related matters.” He said rape is properly defined in the bill and a rapist will now spend the rest of his or her life in prison, adding, “If a man beats his wife, he risks two years in prison if the case is proven. It is now an offense for men to abandon their duties of upbringing as the responsibility is not for women alone. Female genital mutilation now attracts life imprisonment without an option of fine.”

Since the colonial period, in fact even before then, violence had never been legally condoned. Violence in whatever form has been a crime and punishable by law in Nigeria. It was outlawed in the Penal Code of the Northern Region and in the Criminal Code of the Southern states. Since the country split into states, state assemblies have the power and duty of adapting laws to suit their peculiar circumstances.

For Edo State to enact this law specifically to tackle violence, shows that there is a peculiar problem in the state. We commend the female lawyers under FIDA, the state Assembly and the governor for finally giving life to a bill that has been in the works for eight years. Women and other vulnerable persons are always the most affected by violence. Anything done to protect this group of persons is welcomed. Laudable as the bill is though, the challenge is to implement it vigorously.

As the governor said, implementation is key. The  problem plaguing Nigeria is not necessarily lack of laws, as we have many good laws, but their implementation. If criminals are actually arrested and punished, it  would serve as deterrent more than merely writing stiff punishment into statute books. Law  enforcement and judicial officers have to step up efforts in this regard.

Furthermore, in coming up with laws, it is important not to overdo it. Practicality is important if at all any progress is to be made. The bill prescribed life imprisonment for anyone caught engaging in female genital mutilation, FGM. FGM is a cultural practice  that has been with some of our societies for a long time. It is deeply embedded in many cultures throughout Africa. It is true that lately, there has been an awareness of the danger of engaging in FGM and efforts are being made to discontinue the ugly practise. In trying to eradicate it, we believe education and enlightenment are the most important first step, rather than prescribing such a stiff sentence as life imprisonment. This is because perpetrators have local community support and may continue to engage in it secretly.  That is why we said we should be practical when enacting laudable laws.