A human rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), has thrown his weight behind Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka’s disapproval of some provisions of the Sexual Offences Bill, 2015, passed by the Senate of the 7th National Assembly.

The bill, which criminalises the defilement of children under the age of 11, was among the 46 bills hurriedly passed by the Senate of the 7th National Assembly during its valedictory session.

The law lowers the age of consent of women to sex from 18 as contained in the Child Rights Act to 11.

Soyinka had on Saturday urged President Muhammadu Buhari not to ever “place his assent on such a nefarious distraction” adding, “Its implications doom the victim to afflictions that churn the stomach even to think of the human toll.”

In a statement co-signed by Falana and his wife, Funmi, on Sunday, they explained that because the last Senate hurriedly passed the bill, the legislators could not pay attention to the “odious” provisions in the law.

They threatened that if the law was eventually passed into law, they would file a suit before the Federal High Court to strike down the “obnoxious provisions.”

The statement read in part, “We thank you for drawing the nation’s attention to the odious provision of the Sexual Offences Bill, 2015 passed by the Senate which has criminalised the defilement of children under 11 years.

“Since it was among the 46 Bills hurriedly passed by the Senate of the 7th National Assembly during its valedictory session the members did not pay any attention to its provisions. We have confirmed that the Bill has not been forwarded to President Mohammadu Buhari for his assent as it has not been passed by the House of Representatives.”

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