Lagos to prosecute men who abandon women they impregnate

It is now a criminal offence in Lagos for a man to desert a woman he impregnated, the State Attorney General, Ade Ipaye, said on Tuesday.

At the sensitisation programme on the ‘Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011′ and ‘Administration of Criminal Justice Law, 2011′, Mr Ipaye said the law was enacted to protect pregnant women and their babies.

“Any person who impregnates a woman or girl and fails, refuses or neglects to contribute to maternity related cost from ante-natal or post-natal stages, is guilty of an offence under section 277 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State and is liable to face the wrath of the law,” he said.

Mr Ipaye, who also doubles as the Commissioner for Justice, said the state criminal law was enacted to regulate public order and provide rules on criminal conduct, among other objectives.

According to the Attorney General,  the old law handed down by the British Colonial Government was outdated, as it mainly reflected the values of the colonial administration.

He however stressed that the new law has replaced the Criminal Code Law of Lagos State Cap.C17 Laws of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2003, introduced in Southern Nigeria in 1914.

Culled from: Channels TV.com