The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has advocated life imprisonment for convicted rapists.
The body said such a penalty would curb the criminal act.
ASUU Chairman, Olusegun Agagu University of Science and Technology (OAUSTECH), Dr Dipo Akomolafe, said this on Thursday.
He told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Okitipupa that rape cases were rising because the government was not enforcing the Criminal Code.
The code recommends life imprisonment for convicted rapists and 14 years for attempted rape.
He said the punishment “is enough to create fear in the minds of potential perpetrators if only the government can enforce the law”.
Akomolafe stated that rape should not be tolerated in a decent society.
He lamented that most of the victims “are killed by the perpetrators who are, at times, known persons or family relations”.
The official urged the government and relevant agencies to be alive to their responsibilities and ensure perpetrators face the full weight of the law.
