Senate Approves Death Sentence for Anyone Caught in the Act of kidnapping

The Senate on Wednesday took a grand step to stop kidnapping as it has now made provisions for death penalty as the punishment for anyone caught in the act of kidnapping.

The resolution was adopted following a report by the Joint Committee on Police Affairs and National Security and Intelligence presented by its Chairman, Senator Abu Ibrahim. 

On November 19, 2015, the Senater had asked the committee to engage the Inspector General of Police (IG), Solomon Arase, and Director-General of Department of State Services (DSS), Mamman Daura, on recurrent cases of kidnapping and hostage taking, and recommend its findings to the chamber.

The committee also recommended adequate funding of security agencies and advised the federal government to ensure that deliberate efforts are made towards creating employment opportunities for the teeming unemployed youths.

The Senate also tasked security agencies to embark on training and retraining of security personnel for effective capacity building. It charged state governments to make laws that will enable security agencies prosecute kidnappers and culprits of related offences in their respective domains.

The Senate also canvassed the need for synergy and intelligence sharing among security agencies just as it advocated the need to encourage the IG and DG of DSS to be more committed.

However, the committee observed that security agencies had been unable to perform optimally as a result of inadequate funding which it said deprived them of the opportunity to procure modern technology and equipment.

The committee further noted what it described as“unnecessary and unhealthy rivalry among the security agencies leading to lack of required synergy and intelligence sharing on time,”adding that “Relations of the victims are always ready to pay ransom which tend to encourage the criminals.”

In his contribution, Senate Minority Leader, Godswill Akpabio, noted that kidnapping became popular after former Anambra State Governor and incumbent Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, was kidnapped in 2002. 

The new law will help curb the incessant kidnapping of people in the country.