• Red Chamber moves to raise soldiers’, security agencies’ pay
The Senate has proposed life imprisonment for the defilement of a minor.
The offence currently attracts a jail term of five years.
But in an amendment proposed to the Criminal Code Act under a new Bill, “Criminal Code Act (Amendment) Bill, 2025,” the Senate has increased the penalty to life imprisonment without an option of fine.
The Red Chamber of the National Assembly said it considered the defilement of minors to be a very “grievous offence” capable of “destroying” the life of the child for forever, hence the need for such an offender to suffer a punishment of the same proportion.
The House of Representatives, which initially passed the amendment Bill, forwarded it to the Senate for concurrence.
But, carrying out a clause-by-clause consideration of the Bill during plenary yesterday, the lawmakers recommended stiffer penalties for defilement, rape, and other offences.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio said: “Defilement is even more serious than rape. It is a very serious issue and should carry more punishment.”
All senators unanimously voted to approve the life imprisonment clause.
“Any defilement of a minor in Nigeria henceforth, the punishment is life imprisonment.
Let everyone be aware,” Akpabio added.
A stiffer punishment was also proposed for rape or any act of forcing a boy, man, girl or woman for sexual intercourse without their consent, whether in a brothel or any premises.
While the extant law prescribes a five-year jail sentence as punishment, the Senate has raised the penalty to a “minimum of 10 years in the first instance”.
Former Kebbi State Governor Adamu Aliero, currently representing Kebbi Central in the National Assembly, originally suggested life imprisonment for rape, but in its resolution on the matter, the Senate adopted 10 years as the minimum jail term.
In the new proposal, Clause 2(1), reads: “Any person who detains a man or boy, a girl or a woman against his or her will in any premises to have unlawful canal knowledge of him or her; in a brothel or any place, commits a felony and attracts a minimum jail term of 10 years, on conviction.”
The Bill, in its original form, seemed to imply that only a female could be raped or that women were more likely to be rape victims.
But a former National President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Senator Adams Oshiomhole, noted that boys and men have also become victims of rape in modern times.
He said the rapist could be a male raping a male, a male raping a female, a female raping a female, or female raping a male. On the strength of Oshiomhole’s argument, the Senate rephrased the clause to reflect boys, men, girls, and women.
Also, further consideration of the Bill was stood down temporarily as it was referred to the Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters to report back within two weeks.
The committee is to thoroughly review the provisions on pregnancy and abortion procurement and advise the Senate accordingly on the penalties to approve.
In the Principal Bill, abortion is not only punishable but all those who supply or procure tools, including drugs, to terminate a pregnancy, are liable.
Senators called for a more cautious approach, saying there could be implications for medical emergencies or where the life of the expectant mother was at risk.
In his contribution, Senator Abdul Ningi said the new Bill must clearly define when an abortion would be considered to be “unlawful”.
He said when left in the current vague form, health providers might become helpless when they need to save a life through abortion.
“Mr President, if left this way, it is dangerous,” Ningi said.
The Senate, agreeing in unison, gave the committee two weeks to take a proper look at the pregnancy/abortion clause and guide it in passing the appropriate penalties.
There was a mild drama after the Senate President had hit the gavel to step down the consideration of Bill and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan said she wanted to contribute to the issue of abortion.
Raising a point of order, the Kogi Central senator said: “I am a woman. This bothers on abortion and I want to contribute.”
But Oshiomhole opposed Akpoti-Uduaghan’s motion, urging the Senate President to uphold the rules of the Senate without bias.
Raising a point of order, Oshiomhole said: “Mr. President, distinguished colleagues, we have been tutored over and over that when a matter has been concluded, it is the prerogative of the presiding officer to direct the Senate appropriately, in this particular case, to allow for more conversation.
“If you intend to give an exception in the case of Senator Natasha, then the same exception or opportunity must be given to us as well.
“Our rules should apply equally. We have already allowed more discussion, giving her room to make inputs, and now we also intend to do so. That is the true essence of fairness: to continue the debate.
“Many of us would rather debate it here. I think my distinguished sister should agree that these are our rules, and those rules have to be followed.”
Responding, Akpabio said: “I am not a spirit to know what the senator (Natasha) wanted to say. The senator said: ‘I want to say something.’ But if I knew what it was, I would have referred appropriately to
Rule 52, Sub-rule 6, which says: ‘It shall be out of order to attempt to reconsider any specific question upon which the Senate has come to a conclusion during the current session, except upon a substantive motion for rescission.’
“Therefore, since the Senate has already reached a conclusion and stepped down this matter, it shall be out of order to reopen it. I therefore rule Senator Natasha out of order.”
Also yesterday, the Senate said it will today, barring any last-minute change to its Order Paper, debate a motion seeking an urgent and substantial increase in the minimum wage and general conditions of service for members of the Nigerian Armed Forces and other security agencies.
The motion, titled: “Urgent Need to Increase the Minimum Wage and Improve Conditions of Service for Members of the Nigerian Armed Forces and Other Security Agencies,” is sponsored by Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume (Borno South), former Chief Whip of the 10th Senate.
In the motion, Ndume decried what he called the “grossly inadequate” salaries and allowances earned by soldiers and security operatives who daily put their lives on the line to defend the country.
He said the current pay structure does not reflect the sacrifices of military and security personnel operating under harsh and dangerous conditions across various theatres of operation nationwide.
Citing Section 217(2) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), Ndume reminded the Senate that the Armed Forces are constitutionally empowered to defend the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Nigeria and to assist civil authorities in maintaining law and order when required.
The Borno South senator argued that with inflation and the cost of living at record highs, the average monthly pay for junior personnel, between ₦50,000 and ₦60,000, is “grossly inadequate,” leaving many unable to meet basic needs such as food, transportation, accommodation, and education for their families.
He said: “Our troops are stretched thin across multiple fronts – from counterterrorism operations in the Northeast to anti-banditry and oil theft missions in other regions, yet their welfare has not kept pace with their sacrifices.”
Ndume warned that low pay, delayed allowances, and poor welfare have contributed to declining morale, desertions, and vulnerabilities to corruption within the security services.
The former Senate Chief Whip drew comparisons with the situation in other African countries, where, according to him, a private soldier in Ghana earns the equivalent of about ₦180,000 monthly; in Kenya, ₦200,000; in Egypt, between ₦230,000 and ₦280,000; and in South Africa, about ₦250,000, excluding operational allowances.
By contrast, he said, Nigerian privates earn less than a quarter of those figures, despite facing more hazardous and extended deployments.
The Borno South senator expressed concern that poor remuneration undermines operational effectiveness and public confidence in the country’s security institutions.
He insisted that improving welfare would boost morale, discipline, professionalism, and patriotism within the ranks.
The motion further noted that in many countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and India, military pay is benchmarked above the national minimum wage in recognition of the unique risks and demands of military service.
The Senate may deliberate on Ndume’s prayers, urging the Federal Government, through the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Finance, Budget and the National Planning, and the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission, to urgently and substantially increase the minimum wage and salary structure of the Armed Forces in line with current economic realities.
It also urged the Senate Committees on Defence, Army, Navy, and Air Force to collaborate with relevant ministries and agencies to determine realistic remuneration benchmarks that reflect international best practices.
Additionally, the motion urged the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) and the National Assembly Appropriations Committee to make provisions for an enhanced Defence Personnel Cost in the 2026 Appropriation Bill.
If adopted, the motion could pave the way for a periodic wage review framework for security and armed forces personnel, a move that may be crucial to strengthening morale and sustaining the nation’s security architecture.
