Enugu assembly passes violence against persons’ bill

The Enugu state House of Assembly on Thursday passed the bill seeking to eliminate Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) and other related matters.

The bill, which was a private member bill, was sponsored by Mr. Chukwuka Eneh (PDP/Udi South) and facilitated by the Women Aid Collective (WACOL), an Enugu based non-governmental organization.

The assembly had on October 23, 2018, stepped down the bill for further legislative consultation before its eventual passage, just as the report of the committee which worked on the bill was equally stepped down on April 2, 2019 for lack of proper arrangement.

Eneh, in his submission, said the bill if passed, would eliminate violence against private and public lives, physical, sexual, psychological, domestic, harmful traditional practices and discrimination against persons.

He said that it would also provide maximum protection and effective remedies for victims and spell out punishment for offenders.

In his contribution, James Akadu (PDP/Igbo Etiti West) said that the bill was timely, though the assembly had passed a similar bill, but the punishment for offenders as contained in the previous bills were not clearly stated unlike the current legislation.

Akadu commended the facilitators of the bill for a job well done and urged his colleagues to accelerate its passage.

Another lawmaker, Obinna Okenwa (PDP/Enugu South Urban) described the bill as “an improvement” on the previously passed bill. He said that the bill would go a long way in protecting all persons, irrespective of gender unlike the previous bill which protected only women and children.

The member representing Nsukka West Constituency, Mrs. Nkechi Omeje-Ogbu said that the bill was apt as it would address incessant rape cases in the state while

the Speaker, Chief Edward Ubosi, thanked the joint committee, adding that the bill would go a long way in addressing the issue of violence of all kinds in the society.