Nigeria Lawmakers want death sentence penalty for kidnappers

[T]he Senate on Wednesday resolved to enact a legislation prescribing the death penalty for kidnappers. The resolution followed the submission and consideration of the report of the Joint Committee on Police Affairs, National Security and Intelligence on the “unfortunate recurrence of kidnapping and hostage-taking in Nigeria.”

Senators were outraged that kidnapping and hostage-taking, which used to be contained in the Southsouth and Southeast, was becoming widespread.

Senator Adamu Aliero (Kebbi Central), who spoke, proposed that the National Assembly should enact a law prescribing the death penalty for kidnappers.

The proposal was seconded by Senator Dino Melaye (Kogi West).

When Senate President Bukola Saraki put it to vote, the prayer was unanimously adopted.

Chairman, Senate Committee on Police Affairs Senator Abu Ibrahim, who presented the report following the Senate’s mandate that the committee probes the upsurge in kidnapping and hostage-taking, said the committee resolved to invite the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Solomon Arase, Director-General, Department of State Sevices (DSS), Lawal Daura and Minister of Interior, Lt. Gen. Abdulraham Dambazzau (retd).

The Katsina South lawmaker noted that after sessions with the security chiefs, the committee discovered that though kidnapping started in the Niger Delta where oil workers, mainly foreigners, were targeted, nothing serious was done to stop it.

He said the committee also found out that while security agencies were tackling kidnapping and hostage-taking, “kidnapping and hostage-taking is now nation-wide.”

Ibrahim added that they observed that the modus operandi of the kidnappers was known to security agencies.

He said the agencies had not performed optimally due to inadequate funding to enable them procure modern technology.

The lawmaker noted that the committee observed that “there appear to be unnecessary and unhealthy rivalry among security agencies leading to lack of required synergy and intelligence sharing on time.”

He noted that relations of the victims of kidnapping were always ready to pay ransom, which tended to encourage the criminals.

The committee recommended that funding of security agencies should be taken as a priority bearing in mind that the practice of envelop budgetary for security agencies was ineffective.

The committee also recommended that employment should be created for youths and that states should enact laws to enable security agencies prosecute kidnappers and other crimes in their jurisdiction.

The committee said the IGP, DSS and other security agencies should be encouraged to do more.

Melaye asked the Senate to come up with measures to address kidnapping.

He said “kidnappers should die by firing squad or by hanging.”

Aliero said capital punishment should be prescribed for kidnapping.

He blamed the upsurge in kidnapping on the get-rich-quick syndrome.

Aliero insisted there should be a national law of capital punishment, saying leaving states to enact laws against kidnapping was not enough.

Senator Abdullahi Adamu (Nasarawa West) queried the upsurge in kidnapping when the Federal Government had almost contained Boko Haram.

He noted that suddenly, kidnappers have shifted from Southsouth and Southeast.

Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu recounted how he was once kidnapped in Enugu and spent two days with the kidnappers.

Ekweremadu who said professional kidnappers were more dangerous than those who kidnap to rob, noted the only way to discourage them was not to pay ransom.

He said Nigerians should cooperate with security agencies by refusing to pay ransom, adding that when a relation of his was kidnapped, he didn’t pay.

Senator Ben Bruce (Bayelsa East) said kidnapping should be treated for what it is, a crime.

He recalled when condemned criminals were taken to their villages, tied to the stake and shot.

Bruce, who said there must be consequences for kidnapping, regretted that there was no consequence for the crime.

He noted that if a kidnapper knew he would be killed or jailed for 50 years, he would think twice before committing the crime.

The Senate, he said, should rework the report because it did not cover all areas while the government should speak with embassies and former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon who handled post-civil war social problems.

Saraki said besides efforts by security agencies, the National Assembly should look at other laws to address the problem.

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