Men convicted of rape will face surgical castration and anyone who rapes a child under 14 will face the death penalty, under a new law introduced in Nigeria.
The governor of the country’s Kaduna state, Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai, told media that the “drastic penalties are required to help further protect children from a serious crime”.
Nigeria has seen a huge increase in reports of rape during the months of coronavirus restrictions. Women’s groups have called for tougher action against rapists and sex offenders, including the death penalty. Kaduna’s new law is the strictest against rape in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country.
