ABUJA - Mr. Victor Iyanam, Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Akwa Ibom State says the proposed child rights and the anti-terrorism laws in the state would be given priority.

Iyanam who spoke with newsmen in Abuja, said enforcement of the laws were integral to the socio-economic development of the state.

He said because of the crude oil presence in the state, a myriad of investors had indicated interest in the laws, and government would not allow anything to derail the process.

He said the need to protect children from violence, exploitation and abuse became necessary due to the number of Akwa Ibom children working as domestic servants in homes around the country. “If we discover that a child from Akwa-Ibom State is serving as a house boy or house girl in Lagos state or any where, we will trace the parents and prosecute them. “Some of them will go for three to six months imprisonment with fines ranging from N50,000 to N100,000,” he said. Under the Akwa Ibom State Security Enforcement Law, he specifically said: “Kidnapping will not profit anybody in the state because if you are found guilty, it is death”.

“The law will also establish an Anti-Terrorism Commission headed by the Governor, and under that law, we will have a bio-metric bank that will keep finger-prints, DNA records of all persons charged with cases related to felony,’’ he said.

Commenting on the call for legislation to prohibit landlords from collecting house rents in advance, the Attorney-general said the law was ineffective.

Mr. Michael Aaondakaa, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minster of Justice, had requested state commissioners of justice to initiate such legislation.

Aondoka had argued that most Nigerians, even in the formal sector, did not earn income in advance to make up the payment of rents in the same proportion.

Iyanam said: “Take Lagos state for instance, the law has not been effective because tenants themselves are the ones who try to subvert it”.

“Also the lawyers have found a way of making the agreement look like the rents were paid only three months in advance.

“The rent law in Lagos actually prohibits payment of rents in excess of three months and when the law was implemented at first, some landlords were actually fined N50,000 for demanding more rents, ‘’ he said.

“But in Akwa-Ibom, Uyo, the capital city is within one hour from the farthest city in the state, so nobody is talking about rents in excess of one year, as you have in major
cities like Lagos, ‘’ he said.

He stressed that legislation on advance rent payment was not a priority in his state but child rights and anti-terrorism laws.