There is this
popular belief that members of the Yoruba tribe in Nigeria are never one to
actually fight but they can spend hours cursing and gesticulating. A popular
comedian once said if you get a Yoruba man angry, he would threaten to hit you
by saying words like “I will slap you” but he may never actually hit you but
the Warri man whom you have gotten angry will actually slap you first and
threaten to slap you later. Kindly
provoke someone from one of the tribes mentioned above and share your
experience with us. Please I am just kidding, I won’t support or promote street
fights anywhere.
popular belief that members of the Yoruba tribe in Nigeria are never one to
actually fight but they can spend hours cursing and gesticulating. A popular
comedian once said if you get a Yoruba man angry, he would threaten to hit you
by saying words like “I will slap you” but he may never actually hit you but
the Warri man whom you have gotten angry will actually slap you first and
threaten to slap you later. Kindly
provoke someone from one of the tribes mentioned above and share your
experience with us. Please I am just kidding, I won’t support or promote street
fights anywhere.
However, do you
know that slapping someone is an offense?
know that slapping someone is an offense?
The Black’s Law
Dictionary defines “assault” as the threat or use of force on another that
causes that person to have a reasonable apprehension of imminent harmful or
offensive contact. Thus if I threaten you with the words “I will slap you” and
you reasonably believe that I will harm you, then I have committed an assault.
Same goes for using sentences like “I will punch you” or “I will shoot you” or
“I go break this bottle for your head”.
Dictionary defines “assault” as the threat or use of force on another that
causes that person to have a reasonable apprehension of imminent harmful or
offensive contact. Thus if I threaten you with the words “I will slap you” and
you reasonably believe that I will harm you, then I have committed an assault.
Same goes for using sentences like “I will punch you” or “I will shoot you” or
“I go break this bottle for your head”.
The law in Section
351 of the Criminal Code, Chapter C38,
LFN 2004 states that; any person who unlawfully assaults another is guilty
of a misdemeanour, and is liable, if no greater punishment is provided to,
imprisonment for one year.
351 of the Criminal Code, Chapter C38,
LFN 2004 states that; any person who unlawfully assaults another is guilty
of a misdemeanour, and is liable, if no greater punishment is provided to,
imprisonment for one year.
The law further
provides in Section 355 that; any person who unlawfully assaults another and
thereby does him harm, is guilty of a felony and is liable to imprisonment for
three years.
provides in Section 355 that; any person who unlawfully assaults another and
thereby does him harm, is guilty of a felony and is liable to imprisonment for
three years.
Therefore, next
time you feel tempted to assault anyone, please remember this blog post and
understand that no one is worth spending one year of your life in prison for.
time you feel tempted to assault anyone, please remember this blog post and
understand that no one is worth spending one year of your life in prison for.
Adedunmade Onibokun
@adedunmade
Photo Credits – www.tennandtenn.com