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From Adesuwa Tsan, Abuja
The Senate has recommended life imprisonment for offenders convicted of defiling minors, while also passing for third reading a bill seeking the establishment of the Mines Rangers Service to combat illegal mining activities across the country.
The resolution on child defilement followed concurrence with the Criminal Code Act (Amendment) Bill, 2025 earlier passed by the House of Representatives.
The bill, presented by Senate Leader, Michael Opeyemi Bamidele, had originally prescribed a five-year jail term for offenders, but senators voted to increase the punishment to life imprisonment after extensive debate.
Senator Adams Oshiomhole, in his argument on the bill, noted that defilement of minors should attract stiffer penalties than rape.
“Punishment for defilers should be more stringent than the one for rapists. If rapists are to serve five years in jail, child defilers should not serve anything less than ten.”
His position was supported by Adamu Aliero who proposed life imprisonment for anyone convicted of the crime. The recommendation was unanimously adopted by the Senate.
However, the proposed law was stepped down to allow for more work to be done on the section of the bill prescribing a five-year sentence for abortion-related offences, following concerns over the ambiguity of what constitutes “illegal abortion.”
Abdul Ningi noted that the provision was unclear on who the punishment should apply to.
Similarly, Saliu Mustapha cautioned against a blanket approach, citing medical cases where abortions are prescribed to save a woman’s life.
The contentious clause was referred to the Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters for further legislative scrutiny, with a directive to report back within two weeks.
The Senate also passed for third reading the Mines Rangers Establishment Bill, 2025, aimed at curbing illegal mining and strengthening security in the solid minerals sector.
The bill, sponsored by Mohammed Onaiwu, was passed following the consideration of a report by the Committee on Solid Minerals Development, chaired by Senator Sampson Ekong.
The committee noted that the creation of a specialised ranger corps for the mining sector had become necessary, given the limitations of existing security agencies in dealing with illegal mining, which it said was often driven by foreign syndicates.
According to the report, the Mines Rangers would help “address current security lapses in the Nigerian mining sector, create employment opportunities, promote development of host communities, and reduce the exploitation of locals by illegal miners.”
It added that the service would collaborate with the National Unity and Peace Corps to cut logistics costs and ensure better intelligence sharing among security agencies.
The report added that the legislation was essential for “national security, youth development, environmental sustainability, and prevention of exploitation of communities around mineral deposits.” After clause-by-clause consideration, the Senate passed the bill for third reading. It will now be transmitted to the House of Representatives for concurrence before being forwarded to President Bola Tinubu for assent.
