Barely four days to his handover, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan signed two bills earlier passed by the National Assembly into law on Monday, May 25, 2015.
These bills which are now referred to as Acts are the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act 2015 and the Immigration Act 2015.
Reuben Abati, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity confirmed this report to the State House correspondents.
The Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act 2015 seeks to prohibit female circumcision or genital mutilation, forceful ejection from home and harmful widowhood practices.
It further retrains abandonment of spouse, children and other dependents without sustenance, battery and harmful traditional practices.
It also seeks to eliminate violence in private and public life and to provide maximum protection, to procure effective remedies for the victims of violence, and punishment of offenders.
The law also prohibits economic abuse, forced isolation and seperation from family and friends, substance attack, depriving persons of their liberty, incest, indecent exposure and other related offences.
This bill was sponsored by Senator Ndoma-Egba, the Leader of the Senate.
Ike Ekweremadu, Deputy Senate President, who chaired at the session where the bill was accented to disclosed that the passage of the bill would provide adequate protection for the vulnerable in the society and punish those who take advantage of them.
