SENATE INTRODUCES BILL TO CLASSIFY KIDNAPPING AS TERRORISM, SEEK DEATH PENALTY FOR OFFENDERS
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By Aishat Momoh. O.
The Senate on Thursday introduced a bill proposing stringent amendments to the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, including classifying all forms of kidnapping as acts of terrorism and imposing the death penalty on convicted offenders.
The bill, sponsored by Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele (APC, Ekiti Central), passed first reading immediately after its presentation.
The move comes barely 24 hours after lawmakers engaged in an intense debate over the country’s worsening security situation, particularly the alarming rise in abductions. During Wednesday’s plenary, senators argued that only the harshest punishment could effectively deter kidnappers.
Presiding over the session, Senate President Godswill Akpabio directed Bamidele to fast-track the amendment.
“A very serious amendment has been proposed that the penalty for kidnapping be changed immediately to carry the maximum punishment of death,” Akpabio said.
“Henceforth, kidnapping should first be classified as a terrorist act, which should attract the death penalty. Once the offence is established, a death sentence must follow. There is no discretion.”
The proposed legislation expands the definition of terrorism to include any form of kidnapping, stipulating the death sentence regardless of whether the victim is released unharmed or survives the ordeal.
The bill is expected to undergo further legislative consideration in the coming weeks.
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