Kebbi Assembly Overturns Child's Right Law, Introduces New Protection Bill

Table of Contents

1. Bill Passage
2. Committee Report
3. Amendments
4. Third Reading
5. Conclusion

The Kebbi State House of Assembly has enacted a bill that repeals the state’s Child Rights Law No. 012 of 2021 and introduces a new Child Protection Law, 2025.

This decision came after the House Committee on Justice and Judiciary presented a report during the plenary session on Tuesday.

While presenting the report, the Chairman of the Committee, Alhaji Faruk Abubakar (APC, Suru), stated that the bill, which contains 209 sections and 16 schedules, had been thoroughly reviewed to tackle existing issues.

He noted that the committee consulted over 20 stakeholder groups during the public hearing, including traditional leaders, the Council of Ulama, the Christian Association of Nigeria, the International Federation of Women Lawyers, the Nigerian Bar Association, and various child rights advocacy organizations.

Abubakar mentioned that numerous amendments were made, including changing “2024” to “2025” throughout the bill. Additionally, the fine in Section 26(2) was increased from N500,000 to N5 million, and Section 30(1)(a)(i) was elaborated to explicitly define actions that constitute unlawful sexual intercourse with a child.

He further indicated that in Section 127(9)(a)(i), the term “of state” was substituted with “State Government” for improved clarity.

The Leader of the House, Alhaji Faruk Nasarawa (APC, Jega), proposed the motion for the third reading, which was supported by Alhaji Muhammad Tukur (APC, Shanga).

The Speaker of the House, Alhaji Muhammad Usman-Zuru, who presided over the session, called for a voice vote on the motion, which was unanimously approved.

Usman-Zuru praised the committee for their diligent efforts, expressing that the passage of the bill reflects the Assembly’s dedication to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children in Kebbi State.