iDeemlawfulThe Nigerian Senate has adopted a resolution categorising kidnapping as a form of terrorism and calling for amendments to the Terrorism Act to ensure the strictest punishment is applied.
The senators during Wednesday’s plenary concluded that any individual convicted of kidnapping should automatically face the death penalty once the law is revised.
The decision underscores mounting concerns over the surge in abductions nationwide and highlights what authorities describe as an urgent need for stronger deterrent measures to curb the escalating threat.
“The resolution mandates that, upon conviction for kidnapping, the death penalty must be enforced,” the Senate stated. The lawmakers emphasized that this move is aimed at curbing the menace and sending a strong warning to criminals.
Recall that in 2020, the Senate passed a bill which prescribed life imprisonment for anyone found guilty of kidnapping. The “Criminal Code Act CAP C38 LFN 2004 (Amendment) bill” was sponsored by Senator Oluremi Tinubu (APC, Lagos).
The lawmakers amended provisions of section 364 of the Act, which proffer a 10-year jail term for the offence of kidnapping to life imprisonment.
The passage of the bill followed the consideration of the report of the Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, chaired by Senator Opeyemi Bamidele (Ekiti Central).
According to Bamidele, the incessant kidnapping in the country and the trauma attached, including the loss of lives, made it imperative to review the laws to mete out appropriate punishment for perpetrators, and to also deter those who want to engage in the act.
The bill also removed gender restrictions on the offence of rape and eliminated time frame for prosecuting cases of defilement by extending the period beyond two months.
Kidnappings in the country is now at an alarming rate, sending panic into the hearts of many Nigerians. Recall that schoolchildren were recently abducted in Kebbi and Niger states by bandits.
