The Delta State Police Command has warned that adults who engage in sexual intercourse with minors will face life imprisonment.
According to the command’s spokesman, Bright Edafe, “sexual intercourse with either a boy or a girl under the age of 13 is classified as defilement and carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment under Section 218 of the Criminal Code.”
Edafe emphasized that consent is irrelevant in such cases and that attempts to mitigate the offense through court or affidavits will not be effective.
“So going to court and swearing to an affidavit won’t work. In fact, any parent who tries to cover defilement could be charged to court for aiding and abetting,” he said.
The police warning comes as UNICEF reports that violence against children is a pervasive problem in Nigeria, with six out of every ten children experiencing physical, sexual, or emotional violence before the age of 18. In fact, one in four girls and one in ten boys have experienced sexual violence.
In Lagos State, 416 cases of child abuse were reported in the last year, including 49 cases of physical abuse, 14 cases of sexual abuse, 14 cases of defilement, 17 cases of child trafficking, 51 cases of abandonment, and six cases of child marriage. The Commissioner for Youth and Social Development, Mr. Mobolaji Abubakre Ogunlende, disclosed this at a recent press briefing.
