By Kingston Magare
Members of the House of Representatives are set to vote on a bill extending the time-limit for the prosecution of sexual assault committed against girls under 13.
The bill sponsored by Bitrus Laori Peoples Democratic Party representing Demsa/Numan/Lamurde federal constituency in Adamawa State seeks to extend the current sections 218 and 221 of the Criminal Code Act, which stipulates a two-month period in which the offence can prosecuted.
The bill proposes changing the time limit to two years, giving authorities more time to collect evidence and prosecute offenders.
Section 218 says: “Any person who has unlawful carnal knowledge of a girl under the age of thirteen years is guilty of a felony and is liable to imprisonment for life, with or without caning. Any person who attempts to have unlawful carnal knowledge of a girl under the age of thirteen years is guilty of a felony and is liable to imprisonment for fourteen years, with or without caning.”
“A prosecution for either of the offences defined in this section of this Code shall be begun within two months after the offence is committed.”
Speaking on the bill amendment Rep Laori said: “The two-month period is not enough to gather the necessary evidence for a successful prosecution. It acts as a ‘defense’ that allows offenders to escape criminal responsibility, even when it is clear that the accused committed the offence.
“The two-month window gives offenders an escape route from facing justice if the case is not pursued within that time. Often, the process of reporting the offence, arresting the suspect, investigating, collecting evidence, and starting a trial takes longer than two months.”
Laori added that many factors, including “threats, stigmatisation, and a lack of willing witnesses,” can delay the process, making the two-month time limit impractical. “The result,” he said, “is that after two months, the offender is free from any criminal responsibility, while the victim is left without justice.
“Removing this time limit would signal to perpetrators that they have no window of escape once they commit this crime. This would greatly deter offenders from committing these heinous acts.”
