The Senate has passed for second reading a bill seeking to prohibit all forms of violence against persons.

This followed a debate by its sponsor and lawmaker representing Kogi-East Senator Isah Jibrin.

Speaking during plenary on Tuesday, Jibrin said the legislation is seeking to repeal the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act 2015 and enact a law to eliminate violence in “private and public life, prohibit all forms of violence against persons and to provide maximum protection”.

He raised concerns over the inadequate provisions for compensation of the victims of violence, and given the current economic realities in Nigeria, sought to scale up punishments of fine and imprisonment in the Act which have become infinitesimal to have any meaningful deterrent effect.

“This underscores the necessity for a holistic reform of the Act to bring the provisions in line with the realities of societal change and drafting standards to the effective dispensation of justice,” he stated.

“There are instances of derogatory expressions in the Act. An example is ‘mentally retarded’ used in section 28(4). This needs to be replaced with subtle legislative language.

“There are many cases of wrong cross-referencing in the Act. The implication is that the operators of the Act run into difficulties when it comes to implementation. This opens a floodgate of litigation, which can be avoided by legislative options.

“The use of the terms ‘shall’ and ‘may’ in some sections of the Act do not convey legislative intent. Those terms are used haphazardly without due consideration of their outcomes.”

The bill equally illuminated the need to scrutinize the offence of rape as it pays particular attention to the distinction between absence of consent, and consent obtained by fraud, undue influence, and other unlawful means.

The bill has now been referred to the committee on judiciary, human rights, and legal matters to report back in six weeks.