Sola Ojo, Kaduna.
The Kaduna State House of Assembly, on Wednesday, passed into law Violence Against Persons Prohibition Bill after scaling through the third reading.
Lately, there had been increased cases of violence against all categories of persons in Kaduna State where over 400 cases were recorded in the first quarter of this year alone.
The law, when accented to by Governor Nasir el-Rufai, it was expected to address all forms of violence including physical, sexual, psychological, domestic, harmful traditional practices and discrimination against persons.
Part of the law will also provide maximum protection and effective remedies for victims of any form of violence and punishment of offenders – two years jail term or N200,000 or both upon conviction by court of competent jurisdiction.
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The sitting, which was presided over by the deputy Speaker of the Assembly, Nuhu Goroh Shadalafiya, also passed into law the budget of the 23 local government areas of the state.
Other bills that scale through the third reading during the sitting are bill for the Kaduna State urban and regional planning 2018 and bill for a law to prohibit wrongful entry and occupation of landed property including violent and fraudulent conduct in relation to land in Kaduna State.
Fielding questions from the newsmen shortly after the sitting, Executive Director of a non-governmental organisation that advocates for the passage violence against persons, Gender Awareness Trust (GAT), Dr. Lydia Umar, expressed appreciation for the passage of the bill, believing it would help the state a great deal when eventually accented to by the governor.