Death penalty for kidnappers
The Lagos State House of Assembly recently okayed death penalty for offenders under a new anti-kidnapping law. Tagged “A bill for a law to provide for the prohibition of the act of kidnapping and for other connected purposes,” it will become law after Governor Akinwunmi Ambode’s assent. The bill prescribes death sentence for kidnappers whose […]
The Lagos State House of Assembly recently okayed death penalty for offenders under a new anti-kidnapping law. Tagged “A bill for a law to provide for the prohibition of the act of kidnapping and for other connected purposes,” it will become law after Governor Akinwunmi Ambode’s assent. The bill prescribes death sentence for kidnappers whose victims die in their custody. Kidnappers whose victims did not die in their custody will get life jail. The bill was passed following the adoption of a report presented by Chairman of the House Committee on Judiciary, Petitions, Human Rights and Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) Mrs Adefunmilayo Tejuosho.
A copy of the bill soon to be sent to Governor Ambode for assent and the bill states that “Any person who kidnaps, abducts, detains, captures or takes another person by any means or tricks with intent to demand ransom or do anything against his/her will, commits an offence, and is liable on conviction to death sentence.” The bill criminalises attempt to kidnap and stipulates life imprisonment for anyone who attempts to kidnap another person. Also, the bill is against false representation to release a kidnapped or abducted person. This attracts seven years’ imprisonment.
The lawmakers also approved 25 years imprisonment for whoever threatens to kidnap another person through phone call, e-mail, text message or any other means of communication. The bill provides that any person who knowingly or wilfully allows or permits his premises, building or a place to which he has control of to be used for the purposes of keeping a person kidnapped is guilty of an offence under the law and is liable to 14 years imprisonment without an option of fine.
Nigeria accounted for 26 per cent of kidnap and ransom incidents globally in the first half of 2013, according to figures released by NYA International titled “Global Kidnapping hot-spots”. According to Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC), Nigeria in recent years is among the top ten countries globally with high kidnapping incidents.
To dramatise this situation, unknown gunmen recently stormed the Nigeria Tulip International Colleges (NTIC) in Ogun State and abducted eight persons, including students and teachers. The gang later made a ransom demand of N1.2billion. Kidnapping is not new in Nigeria but it has in recent years become a major trade for criminally minded persons in Nigeria. In many parts of the country today, the fear of kidnappers is the beginning of wisdom for all travellers.
It is not surprising therefore that this law passed by the Lagos State House of Assembly will receive widespread public support. Pressure is already mounting on Governor Ambode to sign the bill into law so that kidnappers will quickly begin to feel the wrath of the law. Yet, we must point out that it is one thing to write a tough law into the state books. It is quite another thing to ensure that kidnappers are tracked down no matter how long it takes and they are brought to book for their dastardly deeds.
Even before kidnapping is made a capital offence in Nigeria, it is already a grave crime and the punishment for it is many years imprisonment with hard labour. The reason why so many youths resorted to it is precisely because too many of them get away with it. Once some kidnap gangs manage to collect millions of naira in ransom payment for victims’ families and go about spending the money without being apprehended, their mates in the underworld quickly try to do the same, secure in the belief they would not be apprehended.
Going forward therefore, a task more important than making tougher anti-kidnap laws is to improve the rate of apprehension of kidnappers. The police and other security agencies have already done reasonably well in this regard. Many kidnap gangs have been busted and their members were paraded before newsmen. Once kidnappers realise that their chances of getting away with the crime are slim, they will look for other, less dastardly ways of making a living.